Effects of emotional intelligence intervention on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background

Mental health interventions have increasingly shifted beyond symptom reduction toward strengthening psychological resources that support adaptive functioning and well-being. Emotional intelligence (EI), encompassing competencies related to emotional awareness, understanding, regulation, and interpersonal functioning, represents a potentially modifiable target for promoting mental health. However, existing evidence remains fragmented regarding the EI domains targeted, intervention characteristics, and effectiveness across symptom-based and positive psychological outcomes.

Objective

This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence on EI-based interventions by (a) mapping targeted EI competencies and intervention characteristics, (b) examining their effects on symptom-based and positive psychological indicators of mental health, and (c) exploring participant, intervention, and methodological factors associated with variability in outcomes.

Methods

Thirty-two studies evaluating EI-based interventions among adults were included. Narrative synthesis examined study characteristics, EI domains, theoretical frameworks, and intervention techniques. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted using study-level composite effect sizes to account for within-study dependence. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools, with sensitivity and moderator analyses performed to examine robustness and sources of heterogeneity.

Results

EI-based interventions most frequently targeted stress management, emotion regulation, and emotional awareness, predominantly through experiential and skills-based approaches. Meta-analysis of controlled studies demonstrated significant improvements in overall mental health outcomes (g = 0.65), including symptom-based indicators (g = 0.55) and positive psychological indicators (g = 0.90). Considerable heterogeneity was observed, however, the explored moderators remained insignificant. In a sensitivity analysis excluding studies at high risk of bias, the pooled effect remained statistically significant, although substantial heterogeneity persisted.

Conclusion

EI-based interventions show promise as preventive and promotive approaches for mental health by strengthening emotional competencies relevant to both distress reduction and positive functioning. Future research requires theoretically explicit, mechanism-focused, and methodologically rigorous trials to establish active components and long-term effectiveness.