Volume-XII, Issue-V, September 2026 |
Navigating Adolescence: The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Shaping Lifestyle Choices and Family Influence Ms. Vennila. J, Research Scholar, M.S. Chellamuthu Institute of Mental Health and Rehabilitation, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India Dr. D. Janet Vasanthakumari, Research Supervisor, M.S. Chellamuthu Institute of Mental Health and Rehabilitation, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India |
Received: 07.07.2026 | Accepted: 27.08.2026 | Published Online: 30.09.2026 | Page No: 242-257 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.05W.389 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
The current paper is designed to find out the predictive relationship between emotional intelligence and lifestyle adaptation as well as the family socio-economic status (SES) moderating role among adolescents in rural India. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used to collect data from a random sample of 258 adolescents from the Melur Block, Tamil Nadu. The data were gathered through standardized scales for EI and lifestyle adaptation along with a socio-demographic schedule and analyzed by ANOVA, regression, and MANOVA. The research confirmed the substantial correlation between emotional intelligence and various life aspects, such as the academic, career, and health-conscious orientations, in which lifestyle was the main focus. Most importantly, this research also discovered that the family SES plays a very important role in this relationship as a moderator. The reason is that, on the one hand, the health-promoting lifestyle benefited the most from children's emotional intelligence when they were from middle to upper-income families. On the other hand, teenagers from the lowest income group, when they had the highest level of health consciousness, showed the weakest correlation between EI and lifestyle. Additionally, it is found that family and parental factors (i.e. family type, parental occupation) had a significant influence on adolescents' lifestyle choices across health, academic, and social domains. These results imply that adolescents' lifestyles are not confined to psychological abilities only. The study argues that to be effective, interventions aimed at cultivating healthy adolescent development in rural districts should be delivered. | ||
Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Lifestyle Choices, Adolescents, Socio-Economic Status, Rural India |