Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Well-Being in Children and Adolescents

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Journal of Behavioral Sciences editorial team, we are delighted to announce a new Special Issue on the topic of “Emotional Intelligence and Psychological Well-Being in Children and Adolescents”. This Special Issue is guest edited by Giacomo Mancini, Federica Andrei, Roberta Biolcati, and Elena Trombini from the University of Bologna, Italy.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is generally understood as the disposition to perceive, understand, and regulate our emotions, both within ourselves and in our interactions with others. While EI is not a new concept, it remains a dynamic and evolving construct, especially as it is increasingly being studied in the contexts of childhood and adolescence. This Special Issue aims to explore the relationship between emotional and cognitive development during developmental age, considering the diverse facets of affective growth alongside emerging theories on EI.

Building on the pioneering work of Goleman and the foundational models introduced in the 1990s by Salovey and Mayer in the United States and Petrides in Europe, EI has garnered significant attention in both academic and social domains. Its relevance was underscored in 2015, when the World Economic Forum identified EI as one of the most crucial skills for young people's inclusion and success in the workforce. In psychology, empirical studies highlight EI's adaptive role in promoting psychological well-being and the quality of interpersonal relationships. High levels of emotional self-efficacy are linked to fulfilling relationships with peers, family members, and adults and have predictive value in addressing deviance, mood disorders, and behavioral problems, including social maladjustment, substance abuse, and bullying. The growing body of evidence underscores the importance of assessing EI to inform appropriate interventions for preventing and treating youth distress and to support the development of emotional competence during childhood and adolescence.

With this Special Issue, we invite submissions of articles that explore the relationship between EI and psychological well-being in children and adolescents. Our goal is to foster a vibrant community of authors and readers to discuss the latest evidence, generate new ideas, and propose future research directions. We welcome original research articles, systematic literature reviews, or meta-analyses from academic scholars, practitioners, and clinicians. Submissions may also include guidelines for evidence-based interventions or individual/group training programs aimed at enhancing EI during developmental stages. This Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics, including the assessment of EI in children and adolescents, with applications across various psychological domains such as health, social, clinical, and community psychology, as well as neuroscience and cognitive science.

We look forward to your contributions and to advancing our understanding of how EI can serve as a crucial psychological factor in supporting successful socialization, community mental health, and overall individual well-being in children and adolescents.

Abstract Deadline: 30 September 2025
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: 31 October 2025

Dr. Giacomo Mancini
Dr. Federica Andrei
Prof. Dr. Roberta Biolcati
Prof. Dr. Elena Trombini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.