Divergent Roles of Emotional Intelligence Models in Technology-Related Behavioural Addictions: A Systematic Literature Review

Behavioural addictions caused by contemporary developing technologies and technological devices, such as internet addiction, gaming disorder, and problematic smartphone and social media use, pose a threat to the mental health and well-being of people from all age groups. Through a systematic literature review, we wish to synthesise the existing literature on the relationship between technology-related behavioural disorders and Emotional Intelligence (EI), a psychological construct known to play a protective role in many indicators of subjective and psychological well-being. Due to the importance of distinguishing between different EI theories and their measures, the current review focuses on uncovering the potentially different roles of ability EI and trait EI. A search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, APA PsychArticles, and PsychINFO in May 2024. The data extraction process identified 43 articles and the transparency of this review was maximised by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Key findings revealed the predictive role of EI for several behavioural addictions in samples from different developmental groups (i.e., children, adolescents, adults). Other results will be discussed in detail with a focus on the divergent roles of the two main EI models. Conclusions from the current literature and directions for future studies will be provided by highlighting the critical issues to consider in EI research conducted to explore its role in technology-related behavioural addictions.