The role of positive affect in the relationship between neuroticism, self-esteem, and emotional clarity in adolescents

The role of positive affect in the relationship between neuroticism, self-esteem, and emotional clarity in adolescents | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The role of positive affect in the relationship between neuroticism, self-esteem, and emotional clarity in adolescents Nieves Fátima Oropesa Ruiz, Noelia Navarro Gómez, María-Araceli Pérez-García, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6717889/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity has been a prominent topic of research in the context of adult development and well-being. However, there is a scarcity of studies examining this relationship in adolescents. The primary aim of this research was to explore the role of positive affect and self-esteem in the associations between neuroticism and emotional clarity in adolescents. A sample of 742 secondary school adolescents (aged 13–19) completed the Neuroticism subscale from the Big Five Inventory, the Emotional Clarity subscale of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Positive Affect Scale. Findings highlighted that positive affect acted as a buffer, moderating the negative associations between neuroticism, self-esteem, and emotional clarity. Additionally, self-esteem emerged as a mediating factor in the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity. These results suggest that the negative impact of neuroticism on self-esteem and emotional clarity could be alleviated by the experience of positive affect. Insights from this study can guide future interventions aimed at adolescents characterized by neuroticism and low emotional clarity, thus contributing to preventive health strategies. adolescence subjective well-being self-esteem emotional intelligence personality development Figures Figure 1 Introduction The study of the interactions between emotional intelligence and personality variables in adolescence is crucial to understanding how adolescents manage psychological transitions at this critical stage of their development. This link, although not always evident, is highly relevant because personality traits profoundly influence how people experience and manage their emotions (Andrés et al., 2014; Augusto et al., 2010; McLaughlin et al., 2011). Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to “the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively in everyday life” (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). This skill set not only facilitates emotional regulation and interpersonal relationships, but also influences psychological well-being, academic performance, and social adjustment (Salovey et al., 1995). As such, it plays a key role in adjustment during adolescence, a time when young people face major emotional and social challenges that impact their personal and academic development Moreover, during this period, emotional skills play an essential role in identity formation, stress management, and social interaction, factors that strongly affect overall well-being. While most studies relating emotional intelligence to engagement, creativity, and academic performance have considered it as an independent or predictive variable [e.g., Hoffmann and Russ, 2012; Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2019; Serrano et al., 2016; Usán y Salavera 2018), it is equally interesting to consider it as a dependent or criterion variable. In this sense, although studies are considerably more limited, investigating such mechanisms is crucial given that emotional intelligence is generally considered a set of skills that can be developed and fostered (Salovey et al., 1995). On the other hand, in our society, adolescence has undergone significant transformations Oliva (2003) that influence the assessment of psychological variables such as neuroticism, self-esteem, positive affect, and emotional intelligence. For example, this vital period has lengthened, starting earlier and ending later than in previous generations. In addition, rapid cultural and technological changes have increased the differences between generations, sometimes making communication between parents and children more difficult. Young people face a greater diversity of social models, which makes the construction of personal identity considerably more complex, especially in a context of growing ethnic and cultural diversity. At the same time, the fact that there are fewer young people and more older people in the population may affect competition for educational and employment resources. At the family level, smaller and more democratic families have made it possible to devote more attention to each child, which has led to improved self-esteem and well-being among adolescents. However, new types of families and more permissive or indifferent parenting styles have also emerged, particularly in households where both parents work long hours, posing new challenges for the emotional and social development of adolescents. This current landscape creates a complex phenomenon in which neuroticism, emotional intelligence, positive affect, and self-esteem may coexist in new ways, probably not previously observed. The Big Five model (Costa and McCrae 1992; McCrae and Costa, 1996) identifies neuroticism as one of the main personality variables along with extroversion, responsibility, agreeableness, and openness to experience. All of these traits traditionally assessed using the Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991; John et al., 2008) have been related to multiple aspects of emotional intelligence. For example, extroversion is associated with greater experience of positive affect and interpersonal skills, which facilitates emotional regulation and social relationships (Costa and McCrae, 1992). Similarly, openness to experience is associated with greater curiosity, cognitive flexibility, and emotional creativity, which can enhance understanding and management of emotions (DeYoung, 2010). Kindness and responsibility also play a role in emotional management, as they are related to empathy and self-discipline, two key factors for emotional management and relational well-being (Bar-On and Parker, 2000; Goleman, 1995). Neuroticism is a trait that ranges from emotional stability to negative affectivity, including feelings of guilt, sadness, fear, or nervousness (John, 2008). It is therefore strongly linked to emotional instability and psychological distress, factors that are directly related to difficulties in emotional regulation and clarity. Despite the importance of the traits mentioned above, it is particularly relevant to focus on neuroticism because of its profound negative impact on emotional well-being. Moreover, this specific focus allows investigating how protective factors, such as positive affect and self-esteem, can mitigate its negative effects on emotional clarity, a central component of emotional intelligence. Understanding this interaction is crucial, given that adolescents with high levels of neuroticism are particularly vulnerable to experiencing emotional instability, and the promotion of protective factors could be key to their positive emotional development (Augusto-Landa et al., 2011). It is interesting to note that one of the underlying emotional factors that has been shown to impact the negative aspects of neuroticism is positive affect. Positive affect refers to the degree to which a person experiences pleasant emotions, feelings, and sensations, such as joy, happiness, interest, or alertness. In terms of anxiety and depression, some researchers suggest that, while a high degree of negative affect along with a low level of positive affect is linked to anxiety, having minimal amounts of positive affect itself is associated with depression (Sánchez y Molero, 2014). In this study, positive affect is considered a state variable that fluctuates according to context and specific times (Watson et al., 1988) and, as such, is associated with the performance of various activities. This definition is appropriate in the context of adolescence, a stage characterized by intense emotional changes, where positive affect can vary significantly depending on the circumstances. However, in other research, positive affect has also been found to be a relatively stable personality trait (McCrae and Costa, 2008). People with lower levels of neuroticism tend to experience positive affect more frequently, suggesting a possible interaction between these two dimensions over time (Joshanloo, 2023; Soto 2015; Steel et al., 2008). In this sense, it would be valuable to investigate the role of positive affect in the connection between neuroticism and emotional intelligence, particularly during adolescence, when emotional intensity, the acquisition of emotional regulation skills and the development of social identity are prominent. Another fundamental aspect of personality that plays a key role in adolescence is self-esteem. Self-esteem can be characterized as a person's evaluation of himself or herself, an evaluation that will condition his or her attitudes (Rosenberg, 1965). Therefore, it is also essential to analyze whether self-esteem will positively intervene in the link between neuroticism and emotional intelligence, facilitating the resolution of complex problems and the understanding of one's emotional states. Available research indicates that those with significant levels of neuroticism are also more likely to have low self-esteem scores (Bleckmann et al., 2012; Judge et al., 2002; Li et al., 2022; Liu, 2012; Oropesa-Ruiz et al., 2022; Vazsonyi et al., 2015; Wang y Kong, 2014; Zeigler-Hill and Vonk, 2015) and, therefore, are more exposed to situational influences (Anderson et al. 2012), being more sensitive to negative social evaluations (Edler et al., 2022; Evanset al., 2016). This emotional vulnerability can hinder the development of effective emotional regulation strategies and the strengthening of emotional intelligence, which is especially relevant during adolescence, a period of intense socialization and identity formation (Mann et al., 2004). Mayer et al (2008) define emotional intelligence as the ability of individuals to process emotional information and use it effectively to guide their thoughts and actions. In this sense, Mayer and Salovey (1997) proposed a four-dimensional model of emotional intelligence: emotional perception, emotional facilitation of thought, emotional understanding, and emotional regulation. Emotional perception involves the ability to identify and express emotions accurately, while emotional facilitation of thought refers to how emotions enhance reasoning. Emotional understanding involves the ability to analyze emotions and understand their dynamics, and emotional regulation involves reflectively managing emotions to promote well-being. These four dimensions work together, enabling complex emotional processing (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). We can define emotional information processing as the mechanism by which individuals identify, understand, and regulate their emotions, and it can be considered a subcomponent of emotional intelligence, which encompasses a broader set of emotion-related skills (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). Salovey et al. (1995) designed the Trait Meta-State of Mood Scale, a self-report survey that assesses people's perceptions of their own emotional abilities. This test examines three dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence: emotional attention (the degree to which people tend to observe and reflect on their feelings and moods), emotional clarity (an awareness of one's feelings), and emotional repair (beliefs about the ability to effectively manage feelings). These components are intertwined (Salovey et al., 1995): adequate emotional regulation requires a good understanding of emotions, which in turn depends on accurate emotional perception. Regarding emotional self-awareness, a recent study found that, in adolescence, emotional self-awareness was higher in situations where emotional attention was low and emotional clarity was high (Yildirim et al., 2022). Despite the close relationship between these components (clarity, mindfulness, and repair), in this research we will focus on emotional clarity, which includes investigating, cataloging, and exploring one's emotions retrospectively (Fernández-Berrocal et al., 2004; Martínez et al., 2011; Mayer and Salovey, 1997, Sánchez-Cabrero et al., 2022; Vanuk et al., 2019), which is fundamental to regulating and understanding emotions effectively (Fernández-Berrocal et al., 2004). Emotional clarity allows one to explain why an emotional state occurs, integrating emotion with reasoning and consequently making better decisions, which distinguishes it from emotional self-awareness, which simply refers to the ability to perceive one's own emotional states. This skill also contributes to social relationships and understanding the emotional states of others. Emotional clarity is positively associated with self-esteem in different populations (Fernández-Ozcorta et al., 2015; Guasp-Coll et al., 2020; Valiente-Barroso et al., 2020), psychological well-being (Fernández-Berrocal et al., 2006; Extremera and Fernández-Berrocal, 2006; Sánchez et al., 2006) and can also reduce the impact of unpleasant life experiences (Calero et al., 2018). Other authors consider that improving emotional clarity facilitates the development of social skills in childhood and adolescence (Brackett and Mayer, 2003; Mónaco et al., 2017). Regarding the connection between neuroticism and emotional clarity, in a research conducted with a large sample of adolescents, emotional clarity was negatively correlated with neuroticism (Salguero et al., 2010; Thompson et al., 2015), indicating that individuals with high levels of neuroticism tend to have more difficulties in understanding and regulating their emotions. In addition, emotional clarity functioned as a protective variable in situations of depression risk. In this line, in the research of Augusto-Landa et al. (2011) with a sample of university women, who presented negative inferential styles, emotional clarity buffered the impact of stress on depressive symptoms. Similarly, when analyzing suicide risk and its relationship with emotional clarity in the adult population, other authors found that high scores in emotional clarity correlated with low scores in suicidal risk (Gómez-Romero et al., 2018; Tabares et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2016). In turn, Yildirim et al. (2022) recently suggested that emotional clarity attenuates the connection between anxiety and depression in adolescence. As can be seen, research supports the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity from the perspective of negative affect. Thompson et al. (2015) clarified that when neuroticism was associated with major depressive disorder, high scores on neuroticism were only associated with a lower understanding of negative emotions, but not with positive emotions. An additional factor in the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity is positive affect, defined as the tendency to experience pleasant emotions, such as joy and enthusiasm (Watson et al., 1988). In this sense, the experience of positive emotions could protect against the negative effects of neuroticism and promote healthy emotional development, an aspect that has so far been explored in the literature on adolescents. Indeed, positive affect have been significantly related to well-being (Lucas et al. 2003; Pinedo et al., 2017), resilience (Fredrickson et al. 2003), self-esteem, and perceived treatment by others (Dizén and Berenbaum, 2011; Gomez-Baya et al., 2019), while acting as a buffer against psychological stress (Gloria et al., 2016). On the other hand, previous research has shown a positive relationship between self-esteem and emotional clarity (Fernández-Ozcorta et al., 2015; Guasp-Coll et al., 2020; Valiente-Barroso et al., 2020) suggesting that people with high self-esteem have a better understanding of their emotions and are better able to handle stress and external influences (Brackett and Mayer, 2003). However, the relationship between these two constructs is not always linear. Guil et al. (2019) found that, in college students with high levels of trait anxiety, high self-esteem could be associated with lower emotional clarity, making self-esteem a risk factor that hinders emotional introspection. That is, in some cases, high self-esteem may hinder emotional introspection, as individuals may avoid exploring negative emotions to maintain a positive self-image. This finding suggests that self-esteem, when combined with factors such as anxiety or neuroticism, may act in complex and even contradictory ways in terms of emotional clarity (Guil et al., 2019). Despite these complex interactions, the literature has shown that self-esteem in most cases is a protective factor, facilitating the development of emotional and social skills and contributing to greater emotional resilience (Fredrickson et al., 2003). This is consistent with previous studies showing a significant and positive relationship between self-esteem and emotional clarity among adolescents (Rey et al., 2011; Ruvalcaba-Romero et al., 20179. Gloria and Steinhardt (2016) also suggested that positive affect, in combination with self-esteem, may play a crucial role in moderating the negative effects of neuroticism, promoting better emotional adjustment. This is especially relevant during adolescence, a critical stage in which young people experience accelerated development of their identity and emotional regulation skills [20]. At this stage, higher self-esteem and positive affect can buffer the negative effects of neuroticism, facilitating better emotional clarity and thus a greater ability to manage emotions. from this point of view, we can conclude and expect that, first, an adolescent's level of neuroticism will interfere with his or her emotional clarity, making it difficult to understand and organise his or her emotions (Watson et al., 1988; Salguero et al., 2010; Salovey et al., 1995). Secondly, adolescents with greater emotional clarity will have a greater capacity to maintain positive affect states (Gloria and Steinhardt, 2016; Lucas et al., 2003; ). Finally, self-esteem, in combination with positive affect, will moderate the negative effects of neuroticism, favoring greater emotional stability (Fredrickson et al., 2003, Gloria and Steinhardt, 2016; Rosenberg 1965). Based on previous research, these assumptions will be integrated into a model that seeks to validate the link between neuroticism and emotional clarity during adolescence. Given the findings summarised above, this study aims to: 1. examine the role of positive affect as a mechanism underlying neuroticism and emotional clarity, 2. analyse how self-esteem intervenes at the psychological level in the link between neuroticism and emotional clarity, under the perspective of positive affect, 3. examine the role of positive affect as a mechanism underlying neuroticism and emotional clarity, and 4. examine how self-esteem intervenes at the psychological level in the link between neuroticism and emotional clarity, under the perspective of positive affect. Therefore, our main research hypotheses include the following: Hypothesis 1. Positive affect is expected to moderate the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity. In particular, the negative relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity is expected to be weaker when levels of positive affect are high. This means that, despite high levels of neuroticism, adolescents with higher levels of positive affect will maintain better emotional clarity, given the buffering effect of positive affect. Hypothesis 2. Positive affect is also expected to moderate the negative relationship between neuroticism and self-esteem. In other words, although neuroticism tends to reduce self-esteem, positive affect may mitigate this effect, protecting adolescents' positive self-evaluation. Hypothesis 3. It is hypothesized that adolescents with high levels of positive affect will show higher levels of self-esteem, and that this relationship will be more evident in those with low levels of neuroticism. Furthermore, this positive association between self-esteem and positive affect is expected to be related to greater emotional clarity. In short, the study proposes a novel approach by identifying positive affect as a crucial protective factor in adolescents with high levels of neuroticism, providing empirical evidence for its role in improving emotional clarity and strengthening self-esteem. Although it is essential to understand the relationships between these psychological variables, to date these aspects have not been explored in the adolescent population. In this way, we contribute to scientific knowledge, offering a comprehensive perspective on the mechanisms of emotional regulation during adolescence, providing clues that can lay the foundations for the design of intervention strategies, and exploring a new direction for research in the future. Methods Participants The study encompassed a sample of 742 Spanish adolescents, 45.1% of whom were male and 51.5% female, with ages ranging from 13 to 19 years (M = 15.63, SD = 1.244). All of them were high school students. Materials Neuroticism The Neuroticism subscale of the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John et al., 1991; John et al., 2008) was implemented. It consists of eight items, rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 5 ( strongly agree ). Neuroticism spans from a stable emotional state to negative emotions such as anxiety, nervousness, sadness, or tension (for example: "Is relaxed, handles stress well", "Worries a lot", "Can be moody"). The scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties [67, 68]. In this study, the alpha value for the Neuroticism scale was also satisfactory (α = .75). Emotional clarity We used the emotional clarity subscale of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24; Fernández-Berrocal et al., 2004), modified from the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS; Salovey et al., 1995), in which emotional intelligence is considered a set of skills that can be developed and educated. The emotional clarity subscale measures an individual's perception of their understanding of their own emotional states (for example: "I almost always know how I feel", "I usually know my feelings about people", "I often realize my feelings in different situations”), using eight items rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 5 ( strongly agree ). The scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties in the adolescent population [69]. In this study, Cronbach’s alpha was good (α = .88). Self-esteem The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) was implemented in the present study. This scale comprises ten items used to compute an overall self-esteem score based on the individual's assessment of their personal characteristics, with statements such as "I am convinced that I have good qualities", "I have a positive attitude towards myself", "In general, I am satisfied with myself". Adolescents respond on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 ( strongly disagree ) to 4 ( strongly agree ). Global self-esteem, according to this approach, encompasses feelings of self-worth and self-respect. This scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties with adolescent samples (Gnambs et al., 70). In our study, the internal consistency of the scale was good (α = .87). Positive affect The Positive Affect Schedule from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson,1988) was used in this study. Positive Affect is measured through 10 items rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 ( very little or not at all ) to 5 ( extremely ) (for example: "Interested", "Excited", "Strong"). High scores indicate a greater presence of positive emotions. Various studies demonstrated its good psychometric properties (Carvalho et al., 2013; Seib-Pfeiferet al., 2017). In the present study, a score of α = .76 was obtained. Procedure A cross-sectional study design was utilized for data collection. The directors of several Secondary Education centers participating in the study were contacted to explain the study's objectives, methodology, and data usage, thereby obtaining their informed consent. The study was reviewed and approved by the institutional research ethics committee. The research team arranged visits to the schools to collect data via questionnaires. The assessments were administered in the students' regular classrooms, with their class teacher present. The students were informed that their participation was entirely voluntary and were provided with all necessary instructions. They were also given additional information about the confidentiality and anonymity of the data-handling process. Following the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration, informed consent was obtained from both parents or guardians and participants. Data Analysis Version 28 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and version 4.1 of the PROCESS macro (Hayes and Montoya, 2017; Hayes, 2022) were used to examine the data. Firstly, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated to conduct bivariate descriptive and correlational analysis between the study variables. Pearson's correlation coefficient was interpreted as follows: r = .10 indicated a small effect size, r = .30 indicated a medium effect size, and r = .50 or greater indicated a large effect size (Cohen, 1992). Next, a moderated mediation model was assessed for the connection between Neuroticism and Emotional Clarity, with Positive Affect serving as a moderating variable and Self-esteem as a mediating variable, using PROCESS Model 8 (Igartua and Hayes, 2021). Confidence intervals were calculated based on 10,000 samples. Results Descriptive and correlational analysis The means, standard deviations, and Pearson correlation coefficients for the variables analyzed are shown in Table 1. Results indicated that neuroticism was adversely associated with emotional clarity, self-esteem, and positive affect. In contrast, emotional clarity showed a positive correlation with self-esteem and positive affect. Finally, self-esteem correlated significantly and positively with positive affect. Table 1 Bivariate correlations between neuroticism, emotional clarity, positive affect, and self-esteem. 1 2 3 4 1. Neuroticism 2. Emotional Clarity -.308** 3. Self-esteem -.343** .318** 4. Affection Positive -.223*** .297** .454** M 2.95 24.40 30.49 23.56 SD .75 7.32 6.42 3.65 Notes: ** p < .01; *** p < .001 Abbreviations: M, mean; SD, standard deviation. Moderated mediation analysis A moderated mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between neuroticism with self-esteem included as a mediating variable and positive affect as a moderating variable. As seen in Table 2, in the first phase, neuroticism negatively predicted self-esteem, in the second phase positive affect did not predict self-esteem and in the third phase, the synergy between neuroticism and positive affect positively predicted self-esteem. Table 2 Coefficients for the Conditional Process Model Consequent Antecedent (M) Self-esteem Y (Emotional clarity) β t β t (X) Neuroticism a 1 -9.25*** -3.67 c 1 ’ -4.66 1.52 (M) Self-esteem b .22*** 3.82 (W) Positive affect a 2 -.03 -0.11 c 2 ’ 1.21** 3.17 (X x W) Neuroticism x Positive affect a 3 .29** 2.82 c 3 ’ -.27* -2.15 Constant i M 38.16 i y -6.22 R 2 = 0.31*** F(3, 399) = 61.51, p < .001 R 2 = .20*** F(4, 398) = 25.35, p < .001 Note: * p < .05; ** p < .01; *** p < .001 The dependent variable's conditional influence on the independent variable was then calculated at various values of the moderator variable using the Pick-a-Point approach. Table 3’s data shows that the moderating effect of positive affect is present in both low, medium, and high values. The Johnson-Neyman technique was employed to determine the point at which the moderator variable begins to significantly influence the model. The findings indicated that positive affect started to significantly function as a moderating variable from a value of 27.00. Below this value, 86.35% of the adolescent sample was found, with the remaining 13.64% above it. Table 3 Conditional effects of the predictor on the values of the moderator variable and conditional direct and indirect effects for the conditional process Effect Boot SE CI 95% Self-esteem Positive affect Conditional effects 20.00 -3.30 .54 [-4.37, -2.23] 24.00 -2.11 .38 [-2.86, -1.36] 27.00 -1.22 .51 [-2.23, -.20] Emotional clarity Positive affect Conditional effects 20.00 -.80 .67 [-2.13, 0.53] 24.00 -1.89 .47 [-2.82, -.96] 27.00 -2.71 .62 [-3.93, -1.49] Indirect effect Direct effect W (a 1 + a3W)b 95% bootstrap CI c’1 + c’3W SE p 20 -.75 .26 -.80 .67 .2372 24 -.48 .18 -1.89 .47 .0001 27 -.28 .15 -2.71 .62 .0000 Indirect effect Direct effect W (a 1 + a3W)b 95% bootstrap CI c’1 + c’3W SE p 20 -.75 .26 -.80 .67 .2372 24 -.48 .18 -1.89 .47 .0001 27 -.28 .15 -2.71 .62 .0000 Note: *** p < .001 Abbreviations: SE, standard error; CI, 95% confidence interval. In relation to emotional clarity, the results indicate that in the initial phase, neuroticism did not predict emotional clarity. In the second phase, self-esteem was found to positively predict emotional clarity. In the third phase, positive affect was observed to positively predict emotional clarity. Lastly, in the fourth phase, the interaction between neuroticism and positive affect was seen to negatively predict emotional clarity (see Table 2). The conditional effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable was subsequently evaluated using the Pick-a-Point technique at various levels of the moderator variable. As shown in Table 3, the moderating effect of positive affect is apparent at both medium and high levels. The Johnson-Neyman technique was employed to determine the point at which the moderator variable begins to significantly influence Model 1. The results showed that positive affect began to significantly serve as a moderating variable from a value of 21.21. Below this value, 28.28% of the adolescent sample was found, with the remaining 71.71% above it. The moderate mediation index was .0682, SE = .0298, 95% CI = [.0198, .1350]. This indicates that the negative effect of neuroticism on emotional clarity was mediated by self-esteem, with the effect being less significant when positive affect was medium to high (see Table 3). The final model of the analysis is shown in Figure 1. Discussion This study aimed to explore the relationships between neuroticism, positive affect, self-esteem, and emotional clarity in a sample of high school adolescents. First, the relevance of positive affect as a protective variable for emotional clarity and self-esteem was examined. The findings highlight the interaction between neuroticism and positive affect in predicting emotional clarity. Thus, while the results suggest that neuroticism may have detrimental effects on emotional clarity, they also underscore the fundamental role of positive affect in this relationship. This corroborates Hypothesis 1, which posits that positive affect acts as a moderating variable in the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity. In other words, adolescents exhibiting high levels of neuroticism but who frequently experience positive emotions are more likely to effectively identify and understand their own emotions compared to those who also have high levels of neuroticism but low levels of positive affect. It is important to emphasize that fostering the development of positive affect in situations of neuroticism does not imply that adolescents cannot experience negative affect or that these emotions should be suppressed. Rather, the goal is for these negative affects to be recognized, accepted, and eventually transformed into more positive emotional experiences. This ability to recontextualize adverse emotions may be crucial for helping adolescents develop a richer and more nuanced emotional understanding of themselves. By learning to navigate their emotions, young people can strengthen their emotional resilience and improve their overall well-being. The findings align with previous research on the intensity of positive affect and its relationship with neuroticism (Meesters et al., 2007), as well as with studies showing a connection between positive affect and emotional clarity (Mónaco et al., 2017). This highlights the protective role of positive affect in enhancing adolescents’ mental health and well-being. There are several explanations for the fact that positive affect reduces the likelihood of low emotional clarity in individuals with neuroticism. One possible explanation is that the aspect of neuroticism that hinders the identification and understanding of one's emotions is, to a greater extent, the experience of negative affect. Due to their aversive nature, negative emotions are more challenging to accept and sometimes lead to avoidance and lack of recognition (Smith and Ellsworth, 1985). However, positive emotions, given their pleasant and reinforcing nature, are more likely to be consciously recognized and accepted [60]. Therefore, although individuals who generally experience emotions with greater intensity may struggle to gain perspective on their own emotions (their awareness tends to easily merge with their emotions and thoughts), the experience of positive affect may serve as a facilitating context to improve awareness and understanding of their internal world (Cohn and Fredrickson, 2010). The results also corroborated Hypothesis 2, as positive affect and neuroticism jointly predicted self-esteem. In this regard, positive affect emerged generally as a protective variable for self-esteem, and these conditions were positively associated with emotional clarity, thereby confirming Hypothesis 3. This implies that adolescents who experience higher levels of positive affect in their lives are more likely to maintain their self-esteem, even in the presence of high neuroticism. Furthermore, this context seems to be beneficial for improving emotional clarity. Additional research has confirmed the relationship between high neuroticism and negative affect (Karaaslan et al., 2020; Shi et al., 2015), as well as between high neuroticism and low self-esteem (Judge et al., 2002; Liu, 2012). The positive relationship between self-esteem and emotional clarity has also been investigated (Guasp-Coll et al., 2020), supporting the findings of the present work. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that the use of educational strategies based on humor or optimism by parents can contribute to improving adolescents’ positive affect and life satisfaction. Despite the contributions mentioned, this study has some limitations that should be considered. First, as it is a cross-sectional study, the causal direction of the relationships investigated cannot be definitively established. Although significant correlations were identified, it cannot be concluded that a change in one variable causes a change in another. The nature of psychological variables such as neuroticism and emotional clarity may be influenced by external factors not controlled for in a cross-sectional design. Additionally, the questionnaire used to measure positive affect (PANAS) is sensitive to context and mood fluctuations. This limitation can be addressed through longitudinal studies to observe how these relationships change over time, which would contribute to greater generalization of the results. Second, the sample was drawn from specific schools, which may also limit the external validity of the findings to other populations or cultural contexts. Variability in adolescents’ life experiences, as well as their family and social environments, can influence their responses to the questionnaires, which may not reflect the general experience of the adolescent population. Moreover, the use of self-report scales may be subject to response bias. Participants may have responded in a socially desirable manner or may lack the self-awareness needed to accurately assess their own levels of neuroticism, emotional clarity, self-esteem, and positive affect. This phenomenon is common in psychological studies and may affect the validity of the measures used. Conclusion In conclusion, this study shows that neuroticism and emotional intelligence are not mutually exclusive; rather, they can coexist. Additionally, the experience of positive affect and its influence on self-esteem appear to play a significant role in shaping the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity. From a theoretical perspective, our results support the notion that positive emotions are not only a component of well-being but also play a crucial role in emotional self-regulation and self-understanding. The observed interaction between neuroticism and positive affect suggests that existing theoretical models of personality and emotional intelligence could benefit from integrating the concept of positive affect as a mediating or moderating variable. This integration could provide a more comprehensive understanding of how personality traits influence mental and emotional health. Furthermore, these findings support the potential benefits of intervention strategies that incorporate positive affect, particularly for adolescents experiencing higher levels of neuroticism, providing insights into some of the mechanisms involved in emotional understanding. In this sense, it is necessary to implement educational initiatives, both inside and outside the classroom, that include training in appreciation skills and general life skills, as currently offered in positive psychology. This includes emotional education programs, as well as specific actions aimed at developing self-esteem in community, school, extracurricular, or family contexts. Self-esteem has been shown to act as a protective factor against the negative effects of neuroticism. Encouraging adolescents to set realistic goals, recognize their achievements, and foster a positive self-image can be essential for their personal development. Activities such as recognizing strengths, providing positive feedback, and creating a supportive environment can help build a solid foundation of self-esteem. Working with parents and educators to develop a holistic approach to fostering a positive family and school environment can also be crucial. Creating environments where adolescents feel safe to express their emotions and reflect on their experiences can enhance the effects of positive affect on their emotional development. These measures aim to mitigate the risks associated with high-neuroticism situations by providing the most appropriate affective and personal resources to buffer the effects of neuroticism on emotional understanding and prevent potential risks to adolescents’ personal and emotional development. Additionally, future research could explore how these dynamic interactions between neuroticism, positive affect, self-esteem, and emotional clarity develop longitudinally during adolescence, analyzing changes over time. It would also be valuable to investigate the effectiveness of intervention programs based on promoting positive affect and self-esteem to mitigate the negative effects of neuroticism in educational and family contexts. Furthermore, expanding the study to different cultural contexts could allow for generalizing the findings, considering cultural variations in emotional expression and parenting styles. Declarations Author Contribution NFOR: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data analysis, Investigation, Writing-Original Draft, Writing-Review & Editing, Project administration. NNG: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing-Original Draft, Writing-Review & Editing. MAPG: Conceptualization, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing-Original Draft. JMMV: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing-Review & Editing. Disclosure The authors report there are no conflicts of interest in this work. References Anderson, C., John, O. P., & Keltner, D. (2012). The personal sense of power. Journal of Personality, 80 (2), 313-344. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00734.x Andrés, M. L., Castañeiras, C. E., & Richaud, M. C. (2014). 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6717889","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":463873808,"identity":"0ba282f2-fbe7-4360-ae43-4abaa61ccd58","order_by":0,"name":"Nieves Fátima Oropesa Ruiz","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBAC9gYog5+BgfEAUVp4YMokgXpJ1GJwgGgt7L0PHxdU1Mkb30h+cIChoo4ILTzHjY1nnDlsuO1GGtCiM4cJa7GXSGOT5m07wLjtRoLBAcY2ItzGA9byr85+84z0DwcY/xHjMLCWBubEDRI5QFsamInQwnOM2XjGscPJM868KTiQcIwIv/CwtzE+Lqips+1vT9/44EMNEQ4DAYRjEojTgKxlFIyCUTAKRgE2AABjYDlmclXPSwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Almería","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nieves","middleName":"Fátima Oropesa","lastName":"Ruiz","suffix":""},{"id":463873809,"identity":"4456f8b4-2edc-4da8-af9a-d5fdda0235c0","order_by":1,"name":"Noelia Navarro Gómez","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Almería","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Noelia","middleName":"Navarro","lastName":"Gómez","suffix":""},{"id":463873810,"identity":"27858e4f-5f0d-490d-be78-067e59b6eb4a","order_by":2,"name":"María-Araceli Pérez-García","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Almería","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"María-Araceli","middleName":"","lastName":"Pérez-García","suffix":""},{"id":463873811,"identity":"66e6603c-4ab1-4bee-9a07-0ed857da4b5b","order_by":3,"name":"José-Manuel Martínez-Vicente","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Almería","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"José-Manuel","middleName":"","lastName":"Martínez-Vicente","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-21 15:23:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6717889/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6717889/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":83660970,"identity":"bd5081e7-0001-4c4c-9ec1-a2bfb7670e7b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-30 09:58:02","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":89610,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eStatistical diagram of the conditional process model\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6717889/v1/ee8392c5a5a64dfcab6578cd.png"},{"id":87874223,"identity":"7c80461b-1716-4051-aeb1-002b4826ed34","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-30 01:46:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":758129,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6717889/v1/f96278d3-0f5c-4f6d-a249-919846885fb3.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The role of positive affect in the relationship between neuroticism, self-esteem, and emotional clarity in adolescents","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study of the interactions between emotional intelligence and personality variables in adolescence is crucial to understanding how adolescents manage psychological transitions at this critical stage of their development. This link, although not always evident, is highly relevant because personality traits profoundly influence how people experience and manage their emotions (Andr\u0026eacute;s et al., 2014; Augusto et al., 2010; McLaughlin et al., 2011).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmotional intelligence (EI) refers to \u0026ldquo;the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively in everyday life\u0026rdquo; (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). This skill set not only facilitates emotional regulation and interpersonal relationships, but also influences psychological well-being, academic performance, and social adjustment (Salovey et al., 1995). As such, it plays a key role in adjustment during adolescence, a time when young people face major emotional and social challenges that impact their personal and academic development\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoreover, during this period, emotional skills play an essential role in identity formation, stress management, and social interaction, factors that strongly affect overall well-being. While most studies relating emotional intelligence to engagement, creativity, and academic performance have considered it as an independent or predictive variable [e.g., Hoffmann and Russ, 2012; P\u0026eacute;rez-Fuentes et al., \u0026nbsp;2019; Serrano et al., 2016; Us\u0026aacute;n y Salavera 2018), it is equally interesting to consider it as a dependent or criterion variable. In this sense, although studies are considerably more limited, investigating such mechanisms is crucial given that emotional intelligence is generally considered a set of skills that can be developed and fostered (Salovey et al., 1995).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, in our society, adolescence has undergone significant transformations Oliva (2003) that influence the assessment of psychological variables such as neuroticism, self-esteem, positive affect, and emotional intelligence. For example, this vital period has lengthened, starting earlier and ending later than in previous generations. In addition, rapid cultural and technological changes have increased the differences between generations, sometimes making communication between parents and children more difficult. Young people face a greater diversity of social models, which makes the construction of personal identity considerably more complex, especially in a context of growing ethnic and cultural diversity. At the same time, the fact that there are fewer young people and more older people in the population may affect competition for educational and employment resources. At the family level, smaller and more democratic families have made it possible to devote more attention to each child, which has led to improved self-esteem and well-being among adolescents. However, new types of families and more permissive or indifferent parenting styles have also emerged, particularly in households where both parents work long hours, posing new challenges for the emotional and social development of adolescents. This current landscape creates a complex phenomenon in which neuroticism, emotional intelligence, positive affect, and self-esteem may coexist in new ways, probably not previously observed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Big Five model (Costa and McCrae 1992; McCrae and Costa, 1996) identifies neuroticism as one of the main personality variables along with extroversion, responsibility, agreeableness, and openness to experience. All of these traits traditionally assessed using the Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991; John et al., 2008) have been related to multiple aspects of emotional intelligence. For example, extroversion is associated with greater experience of positive affect and interpersonal skills, which facilitates emotional regulation and social relationships (Costa and McCrae, 1992). Similarly, openness to experience is associated with greater curiosity, cognitive flexibility, and emotional creativity, which can enhance understanding and management of emotions (DeYoung, \u0026nbsp;2010). Kindness and responsibility also play a role in emotional management, as they are related to empathy and self-discipline, two key factors for emotional management and relational well-being (Bar-On and Parker, 2000; Goleman, 1995).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeuroticism is a trait that ranges from emotional stability to negative affectivity, including feelings of guilt, sadness, fear, or nervousness (John, 2008). It is therefore strongly linked to emotional instability and psychological distress, factors that are directly related to difficulties in emotional regulation and clarity. Despite the importance of the traits mentioned above, it is particularly relevant to focus on neuroticism because of its profound negative impact on emotional well-being. Moreover, this specific focus allows investigating how protective factors, such as positive affect and self-esteem, can mitigate its negative effects on emotional clarity, a central component of emotional intelligence. Understanding this interaction is crucial, given that adolescents with high levels of neuroticism are particularly vulnerable to experiencing emotional instability, and the promotion of protective factors could be key to their positive emotional development (Augusto-Landa et al., 2011).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is interesting to note that one of the underlying emotional factors that has been shown to impact the negative aspects of neuroticism is positive affect. Positive affect refers to the degree to which a person experiences pleasant emotions, feelings, and sensations, such as joy, happiness, interest, or alertness. In terms of anxiety and depression, some researchers suggest that, while a high degree of negative affect along with a low level of positive affect is linked to anxiety, having minimal amounts of positive affect itself is associated with depression (S\u0026aacute;nchez y Molero, 2014). In this study, positive affect is considered a state variable that fluctuates according to context and specific times (Watson et al., 1988) and, as such, is associated with the performance of various activities. This definition is appropriate in the context of adolescence, a stage characterized by intense emotional changes, where positive affect can vary significantly depending on the circumstances. However, in other research, positive affect has also been found to be a relatively stable personality trait (McCrae and Costa, 2008). People with lower levels of neuroticism tend to experience positive affect more frequently, suggesting a possible interaction between these two dimensions over time (Joshanloo, 2023; Soto 2015; Steel et al., 2008).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this sense, it would be valuable to investigate the role of positive affect in the connection between neuroticism and emotional intelligence, particularly during adolescence, when emotional intensity, the acquisition of emotional regulation skills and the development of social identity are prominent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother fundamental aspect of personality that plays a key role in adolescence is self-esteem. Self-esteem can be characterized as a person\u0026apos;s evaluation of himself or herself, an evaluation that will condition his or her attitudes (Rosenberg, 1965). Therefore, it is also essential to analyze whether self-esteem will positively intervene in the link between neuroticism and emotional intelligence, facilitating the resolution of complex problems and the understanding of one\u0026apos;s emotional states. Available research indicates that those with significant levels of neuroticism are also more likely to have low self-esteem scores (Bleckmann et al., 2012; Judge et al., 2002; Li et al., 2022; Liu, 2012; Oropesa-Ruiz et al., 2022; Vazsonyi et al., \u0026nbsp;2015; Wang y Kong, 2014; Zeigler-Hill and Vonk, 2015) and, therefore, are more exposed to situational influences (Anderson et al. 2012), being more sensitive to negative social evaluations (Edler et al., 2022; Evanset al., 2016).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis emotional vulnerability can hinder the development of effective emotional regulation strategies and the strengthening of emotional intelligence, which is especially relevant during adolescence, a period of intense socialization and identity formation (Mann et al., 2004).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMayer et al (2008) define emotional intelligence as the ability of individuals to process emotional information and use it effectively to guide their thoughts and actions. In this sense, Mayer and Salovey (1997) proposed a four-dimensional model of emotional intelligence: emotional perception, emotional facilitation of thought, emotional understanding, and emotional regulation. Emotional perception involves the ability to identify and express emotions accurately, while emotional facilitation of thought refers to how emotions enhance reasoning. Emotional understanding involves the ability to analyze emotions and understand their dynamics, and emotional regulation involves reflectively managing emotions to promote well-being. These four dimensions work together, enabling complex emotional processing (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). We can define emotional information processing as the mechanism by which individuals identify, understand, and regulate their emotions, and it can be considered a subcomponent of emotional intelligence, which encompasses a broader set of emotion-related skills (Mayer and Salovey, 1997).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSalovey et al. (1995) designed the Trait Meta-State of Mood Scale, a self-report survey that assesses people\u0026apos;s perceptions of their own emotional abilities. This test examines three dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence: emotional attention (the degree to which people tend to observe and reflect on their feelings and moods), emotional clarity (an awareness of one\u0026apos;s feelings), and emotional repair (beliefs about the ability to effectively manage feelings). These components are intertwined (Salovey et al., 1995): adequate emotional regulation requires a good understanding of emotions, which in turn depends on accurate emotional perception. Regarding emotional self-awareness, a recent study found that, in adolescence, emotional self-awareness was higher in situations where emotional attention was low and emotional clarity was high (Yildirim et al., 2022). Despite the close relationship between these components (clarity, mindfulness, and repair), in this research we will focus on emotional clarity, which includes investigating, cataloging, and exploring one\u0026apos;s emotions retrospectively (Fern\u0026aacute;ndez-Berrocal et al., 2004; Mart\u0026iacute;nez et al., 2011; Mayer and Salovey, 1997, S\u0026aacute;nchez-Cabrero et al., 2022; Vanuk et al., \u0026nbsp;2019), which is fundamental to regulating and understanding emotions effectively (Fern\u0026aacute;ndez-Berrocal et al., 2004). Emotional clarity allows one to explain why an emotional state occurs, integrating emotion with reasoning and consequently making better decisions, which distinguishes it from emotional self-awareness, which simply refers to the ability to perceive one\u0026apos;s own emotional states. This skill also contributes to social relationships and understanding the emotional states of others.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmotional clarity is positively associated with self-esteem in different populations (Fern\u0026aacute;ndez-Ozcorta et al., 2015; Guasp-Coll et al., 2020; Valiente-Barroso et al., 2020), psychological well-being (Fern\u0026aacute;ndez-Berrocal et al., 2006; Extremera and Fern\u0026aacute;ndez-Berrocal, 2006; S\u0026aacute;nchez et al., 2006) and can also reduce the impact of unpleasant life experiences (Calero et al., 2018). Other authors consider that improving emotional clarity facilitates the development of social skills in childhood and adolescence (Brackett and Mayer, 2003; M\u0026oacute;naco et al., 2017).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding the connection between neuroticism and emotional clarity, in a research conducted with a large sample of adolescents, emotional clarity was negatively correlated with neuroticism (Salguero et al., 2010; Thompson et al., 2015), indicating that individuals with high levels of neuroticism tend to have more difficulties in understanding and regulating their emotions. In addition, emotional clarity functioned as a protective variable in situations of depression risk. In this line, in the research of Augusto-Landa et al. (2011) with a sample of university women, who presented negative inferential styles, emotional clarity buffered the impact of stress on depressive symptoms. Similarly, when analyzing suicide risk and its relationship with emotional clarity in the adult population, other authors found that high scores in emotional clarity correlated with low scores in suicidal risk (G\u0026oacute;mez-Romero et al., 2018; Tabares et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2016). In turn, Yildirim et al. (2022) recently suggested that emotional clarity attenuates the connection between anxiety and depression in adolescence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs can be seen, research supports the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity from the perspective of negative affect. Thompson et al. (2015) clarified that when neuroticism was associated with major depressive disorder, high scores on neuroticism were only associated with a lower understanding of negative emotions, but not with positive emotions. An additional factor in the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity is positive affect, defined as the tendency to experience pleasant emotions, such as joy and enthusiasm (Watson et al., 1988). In this sense, the experience of positive emotions could protect against the negative effects of neuroticism and promote healthy emotional development, an aspect that has so far been explored in the literature on adolescents. Indeed, positive affect have been significantly related to well-being (Lucas et al. \u0026nbsp;2003; Pinedo et al., 2017), resilience (Fredrickson et al. 2003), self-esteem, and perceived treatment by others (Diz\u0026eacute;n and Berenbaum, 2011; Gomez-Baya et al., 2019), while acting as a buffer against psychological stress (Gloria et al., 2016).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, previous research has shown a positive relationship between self-esteem and emotional clarity (Fern\u0026aacute;ndez-Ozcorta et al., 2015; Guasp-Coll et al., 2020; Valiente-Barroso et al., \u0026nbsp; 2020) suggesting that people with high self-esteem have a better understanding of their emotions and are better able to handle stress and external influences (Brackett and Mayer, 2003). However, the relationship between these two constructs is not always linear. Guil et al. (2019) found that, in college students with high levels of trait anxiety, high self-esteem could be associated with lower emotional clarity, making self-esteem a risk factor that hinders emotional introspection. That is, in some cases, high self-esteem may hinder emotional introspection, as individuals may avoid exploring negative emotions to maintain a positive self-image. This finding suggests that self-esteem, when combined with factors such as anxiety or neuroticism, may act in complex and even contradictory ways in terms of emotional clarity (Guil et al., 2019).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite these complex interactions, the literature has shown that self-esteem in most cases is a protective factor, facilitating the development of emotional and social skills and contributing to greater emotional resilience (Fredrickson et al., 2003). This is consistent with previous studies showing a significant and positive relationship between self-esteem and emotional clarity among adolescents (Rey et al., 2011; Ruvalcaba-Romero et al., 20179. Gloria and Steinhardt (2016) also suggested that positive affect, in combination with self-esteem, may play a crucial role in moderating the negative effects of neuroticism, promoting better emotional adjustment. This is especially relevant during adolescence, a critical stage in which young people experience accelerated development of their identity and emotional regulation skills [20]. At this stage, higher self-esteem and positive affect can buffer the negative effects of neuroticism, facilitating better emotional clarity and thus a greater ability to manage emotions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003efrom this point of view, we can conclude and expect that, first, an adolescent\u0026apos;s level of neuroticism will interfere with his or her emotional clarity, making it difficult to understand and organise his or her emotions (Watson et al., 1988; Salguero et al., 2010; Salovey et al., 1995). Secondly, adolescents with greater emotional clarity will have a greater capacity to maintain positive affect states (Gloria and Steinhardt, 2016; Lucas et al., 2003; ). Finally, self-esteem, in combination with positive affect, will moderate the negative effects of neuroticism, favoring greater emotional stability (Fredrickson et al., 2003, Gloria and Steinhardt, 2016; Rosenberg 1965). Based on previous research, these assumptions will be integrated into a model that seeks to validate the link between neuroticism and emotional clarity during adolescence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiven the findings summarised above, this study aims to: 1. examine the role of positive affect as a mechanism underlying neuroticism and emotional clarity, 2. analyse how self-esteem intervenes at the psychological level in the link between neuroticism and emotional clarity, under the perspective of positive affect, 3. examine the role of positive affect as a mechanism underlying neuroticism and emotional clarity, and 4. examine how self-esteem intervenes at the psychological level in the link between neuroticism and emotional clarity, under the perspective of positive affect.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, our main research hypotheses include the following: Hypothesis 1. Positive affect is expected to moderate the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity. In particular, the negative relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity is expected to be weaker when levels of positive affect are high. This means that, despite high levels of neuroticism, adolescents with higher levels of positive affect will maintain better emotional clarity, given the buffering effect of positive affect.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHypothesis 2. Positive affect is also expected to moderate the negative relationship between neuroticism and self-esteem. In other words, although neuroticism tends to reduce self-esteem, positive affect may mitigate this effect, protecting adolescents\u0026apos; positive self-evaluation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHypothesis 3. It is hypothesized that adolescents with high levels of positive affect will show higher levels of self-esteem, and that this relationship will be more evident in those with low levels of neuroticism. Furthermore, this positive association between self-esteem and positive affect is expected to be related to greater emotional clarity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn short, the study proposes a novel approach by identifying positive affect as a crucial protective factor in adolescents with high levels of neuroticism, providing empirical evidence for its role in improving emotional clarity and strengthening self-esteem. Although it is essential to understand the relationships between these psychological variables, to date these aspects have not been explored in the adolescent population. In this way, we contribute to scientific knowledge, offering a comprehensive perspective on the mechanisms of emotional regulation during adolescence, providing clues that can lay the foundations for the design of intervention strategies, and exploring a new direction for research in the future.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParticipants\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study encompassed a sample of 742 Spanish adolescents, 45.1% of whom were male and 51.5% female, with ages ranging from 13 to 19 years (M = 15.63, SD = 1.244). All of them were high school students.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaterials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNeuroticism\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Neuroticism subscale of the Big Five Inventory (BFI;\u0026nbsp;John et al., 1991; John et al., 2008) was implemented. It consists of eight items, rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (\u003cem\u003estrongly disagree\u003c/em\u003e) to 5 (\u003cem\u003estrongly agree\u003c/em\u003e). Neuroticism spans from a stable emotional state to negative emotions such as anxiety, nervousness, sadness, or tension (for example: \u0026quot;Is relaxed, handles stress well\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;Worries a lot\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;Can be moody\u0026quot;). The scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties [67, 68]. In this study, the alpha value for the Neuroticism scale was also satisfactory (\u0026alpha; = .75).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEmotional clarity\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe used the emotional clarity subscale of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24;\u0026nbsp;Fern\u0026aacute;ndez-Berrocal et al., 2004), modified from the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS; Salovey et al., \u0026nbsp;1995), in which emotional intelligence is considered a set of skills that can be developed and educated. The emotional clarity subscale measures an individual\u0026apos;s perception of their understanding of their own emotional states (for example: \u0026quot;I almost always know how I feel\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;I usually know my feelings about people\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;I often realize my feelings in different situations\u0026rdquo;), using eight items rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (\u003cem\u003estrongly disagree\u003c/em\u003e) to 5 (\u003cem\u003estrongly agree\u003c/em\u003e). The scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties in the adolescent population [69]. In this study, Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha was good (\u0026alpha; = .88).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSelf-esteem\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale\u0026nbsp;(Rosenberg, 1965) was implemented in the present study. This scale comprises ten items used to compute an overall self-esteem score based on the individual\u0026apos;s assessment of their personal characteristics, with statements such as \u0026quot;I am convinced that I have good qualities\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;I have a positive attitude towards myself\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;In general, I am satisfied with myself\u0026quot;. Adolescents respond on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (\u003cem\u003estrongly disagree\u003c/em\u003e) to 4 (\u003cem\u003estrongly agree\u003c/em\u003e). Global self-esteem, according to this approach, encompasses feelings of self-worth and self-respect. This scale demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties with adolescent samples (Gnambs et al., 70). In our study, the internal consistency of the scale was good (\u0026alpha; = .87).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePositive affect\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Positive Affect Schedule from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS;\u0026nbsp;Watson,1988) was used in this study. Positive Affect is measured through 10 items rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (\u003cem\u003every little or not at all\u003c/em\u003e) to 5 (\u003cem\u003eextremely\u003c/em\u003e) (for example: \u0026quot;Interested\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;Excited\u0026quot;, \u0026quot;Strong\u0026quot;). High scores indicate a greater presence of positive emotions. Various studies demonstrated its good psychometric properties (Carvalho et al., 2013; Seib-Pfeiferet al., \u0026nbsp;2017). In the present study, a score of \u0026alpha; = .76 was obtained.\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProcedure\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study design was utilized for data collection. The directors of several Secondary Education centers participating in the study were contacted to explain the study\u0026apos;s objectives, methodology, and data usage, thereby obtaining their informed consent.\u0026nbsp;The study was reviewed and approved by the institutional research ethics committee.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe research team arranged visits to the schools to collect data via questionnaires. The assessments were administered in the students\u0026apos; regular classrooms, with their class teacher present. The students were informed that their participation was entirely voluntary and were provided with all necessary instructions. They were also given additional information about the confidentiality and anonymity of the data-handling process. Following the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration, informed consent was obtained from both parents or guardians and participants. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVersion 28 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and version 4.1 of the PROCESS macro (Hayes and Montoya, 2017; Hayes, 2022) were used to examine the data. Firstly, Pearson\u0026rsquo;s\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ecorrelation coefficient was calculated to conduct bivariate descriptive and correlational analysis between the study variables. \u0026nbsp; Pearson\u0026apos;s correlation coefficient was interpreted as follows: \u003cem\u003er\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e= .10 indicated a small effect size, \u003cem\u003er\u003c/em\u003e = .30 indicated a medium effect size, and \u003cem\u003er\u003c/em\u003e = .50 or greater indicated a large effect size (Cohen, 1992). Next, a moderated mediation model was assessed for the connection between Neuroticism and Emotional Clarity, with Positive Affect serving as a moderating variable and Self-esteem as a mediating variable, using PROCESS Model 8 (Igartua and Hayes, 2021). Confidence intervals were calculated based on 10,000 samples.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescriptive and correlational analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe means, standard deviations, and Pearson correlation coefficients for the variables analyzed are shown in Table 1. Results indicated that neuroticism was adversely associated with emotional clarity, self-esteem, and positive affect. In contrast, emotional clarity showed a positive correlation with self-esteem and positive affect. Finally, self-esteem correlated significantly and positively with positive affect.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1\u003c/strong\u003e Bivariate correlations between neuroticism, emotional clarity, positive affect, and self-esteem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"576\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 255px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 255px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1. Neuroticism\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 255px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2. Emotional Clarity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.308**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 255px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3. Self-esteem\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.343**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.318**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 255px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4. Affection Positive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.223***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.297**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.454**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 255px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 255px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes:\u003c/strong\u003e **\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; .01; ***\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; .001\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbbreviations:\u003c/strong\u003e M, mean; SD, standard deviation.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eModerated mediation analysis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA moderated mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between neuroticism with self-esteem included as a mediating variable and positive affect as a moderating variable. As seen in Table 2, in the first phase, neuroticism negatively predicted self-esteem, in the second phase positive affect did not predict self-esteem and in the third phase, the synergy between neuroticism and positive affect positively predicted self-esteem.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eCoefficients for the Conditional Process Model\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"576\" class=\"fr-table-selection-hover\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 221px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 168px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConsequent\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 131px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 221px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAntecedent\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 168px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(M) Self-esteem\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 131px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eY (Emotional clarity)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 221px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(X) Neuroticism\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ea\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-9.25***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ec\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 221px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(M) Self-esteem\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eb\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.22***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.82\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 221px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(W) Positive affect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ea\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ec\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.21**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 221px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(X x W) Neuroticism x Positive affect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ea\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.29**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.82\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ec\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026rsquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.27*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 221px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConstant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 27px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ei\u003csub\u003eM\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38.16\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 29px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ei\u003csub\u003ey\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-6.22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 278px;\" class=\"fr-cell-handler \"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e= 0.31***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eF(3, 399) = 61.51, p \u0026lt; .001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 298px;\" class=\"fr-cell-fixed \"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e= .20***\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eF(4, 398) = 25.35, p \u0026lt; .001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c/strong\u003e *\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; .05; ** \u003cem\u003ep\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026lt; .01; ***\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; .001\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dependent variable\u0026apos;s conditional influence on the independent variable was then calculated at various values of the moderator variable using the Pick-a-Point approach. Table 3\u0026rsquo;s data shows that the moderating effect of positive affect is present in both low, medium, and high values. The Johnson-Neyman technique was employed to determine the point at which the moderator variable begins to significantly influence the model. The findings indicated that positive affect started to significantly function as a moderating variable from a value of 27.00. Below this value, 86.35% of the adolescent sample was found, with the remaining 13.64% above it. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3\u003c/strong\u003e Conditional effects of the predictor on the values of the moderator variable and conditional direct and indirect effects for the conditional process\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"576\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEffect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBoot SE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCI 95%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"9\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 576px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSelf-esteem\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePositive affect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 382px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConditional effects\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-3.30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e[-4.37, -2.23]\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e[-2.86, -1.36]\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e[-2.23, -.20]\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"9\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 576px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEmotional clarity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePositive affect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 382px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConditional effects\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e[-2.13, 0.53]\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.89\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.47\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e[-2.82, -.96]\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 194px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 127px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 152px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e[-3.93, -1.49]\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 359px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndirect effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 169px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDirect effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(a\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e + a3W)b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95% bootstrap CI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ec\u0026rsquo;1 + c\u0026rsquo;3W\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.2372\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.89\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.47\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.0001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.0000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 359px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndirect effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 169px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDirect effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eW\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(a\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e + a3W)b\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95% bootstrap CI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ec\u0026rsquo;1 + c\u0026rsquo;3W\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.2372\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.89\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.47\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.0001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 133px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 182px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 120px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.0000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c/strong\u003e ***\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; .001\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbbreviations:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eSE, standard error; CI, 95% confidence interval.\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn relation to emotional clarity, the results indicate that in the initial phase, neuroticism did not predict emotional clarity. In the second phase, self-esteem was found to positively predict emotional clarity. In the third phase, positive affect was observed to positively predict emotional clarity. Lastly, in the fourth phase, the interaction between neuroticism and positive affect was seen to negatively predict emotional clarity (see Table 2). \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe conditional effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable was subsequently evaluated using the Pick-a-Point technique at various levels of the moderator variable. As shown in Table 3, the moderating effect of positive affect is apparent at both medium and high levels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Johnson-Neyman technique was employed to determine the point at which the moderator variable begins to significantly influence Model 1. The results showed that positive affect began to significantly serve as a moderating variable from a value of 21.21. Below this value, 28.28% of the adolescent sample was found, with the remaining 71.71% above it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe moderate mediation index was .0682, SE = .0298, 95% CI = [.0198, .1350]. This indicates that the negative effect of neuroticism on emotional clarity was mediated by self-esteem, with the effect being less significant when positive affect was medium to high (see Table 3). The final model of the analysis is shown in Figure 1.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to explore the relationships between neuroticism, positive affect, self-esteem, and emotional clarity in a sample of high school adolescents. First, the relevance of positive affect as a protective variable for emotional clarity and self-esteem was examined. The findings highlight the interaction between neuroticism and positive affect in predicting emotional clarity. Thus, while the results suggest that neuroticism may have detrimental effects on emotional clarity, they also underscore the fundamental role of positive affect in this relationship. This corroborates Hypothesis 1, which posits that positive affect acts as a moderating variable in the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity. In other words, adolescents exhibiting high levels of neuroticism but who frequently experience positive emotions are more likely to effectively identify and understand their own emotions compared to those who also have high levels of neuroticism but low levels of positive affect.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is important to emphasize that fostering the development of positive affect in situations of neuroticism does not imply that adolescents cannot experience negative affect or that these emotions should be suppressed. Rather, the goal is for these negative affects to be recognized, accepted, and eventually transformed into more positive emotional experiences. This ability to recontextualize adverse emotions may be crucial for helping adolescents develop a richer and more nuanced emotional understanding of themselves. By learning to navigate their emotions, young people can strengthen their emotional resilience and improve their overall well-being.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe findings align with previous research on the intensity of positive affect and its relationship with neuroticism (Meesters et al., 2007), as well as with studies showing a connection between positive affect and emotional clarity (M\u0026oacute;naco et al., 2017). This highlights the protective role of positive affect in enhancing adolescents\u0026rsquo; mental health and well-being.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are several explanations for the fact that positive affect reduces the likelihood of low emotional clarity in individuals with neuroticism. One possible explanation is that the aspect of neuroticism that hinders the identification and understanding of one\u0026apos;s emotions is, to a greater extent, the experience of negative affect. Due to their aversive nature, negative emotions are more challenging to accept and sometimes lead to avoidance and lack of recognition (Smith and\u0026nbsp;Ellsworth, 1985). However, positive emotions, given their pleasant and reinforcing nature, are more likely to be consciously recognized and accepted [60]. Therefore, although individuals who generally experience emotions with greater intensity may struggle to gain perspective on their own emotions (their awareness tends to easily merge with their emotions and thoughts), the experience of positive affect may serve as a facilitating context to improve awareness and understanding of their internal world (Cohn and Fredrickson, 2010).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results also corroborated Hypothesis 2, as positive affect and neuroticism jointly predicted self-esteem. In this regard, positive affect emerged generally as a protective variable for self-esteem, and these conditions were positively associated with emotional clarity, thereby confirming Hypothesis 3. This implies that adolescents who experience higher levels of positive affect in their lives are more likely to maintain their self-esteem, even in the presence of high neuroticism. Furthermore, this context seems to be beneficial for improving emotional clarity. Additional research has confirmed the relationship between high neuroticism and negative affect (Karaaslan et al., 2020; Shi et al., 2015), as well as between high neuroticism and low self-esteem (Judge et al., 2002; Liu, 2012). The positive relationship between self-esteem and emotional clarity has also been investigated (Guasp-Coll et al., 2020), supporting the findings of the present work. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that the use of educational strategies based on humor or optimism by parents can contribute to improving adolescents\u0026rsquo; positive affect and life satisfaction.\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;Despite the contributions mentioned, this study has some limitations that should be considered. First, as it is a cross-sectional study, the causal direction of the relationships investigated cannot be definitively established. Although significant correlations were identified, it cannot be concluded that a change in one variable causes a change in another. The nature of psychological variables such as neuroticism and emotional clarity may be influenced by external factors not controlled for in a cross-sectional design. Additionally, the questionnaire used to measure positive affect (PANAS) is sensitive to context and mood fluctuations. This limitation can be addressed through longitudinal studies to observe how these relationships change over time, which would contribute to greater generalization of the results.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSecond, the sample was drawn from specific schools, which may also limit the external validity of the findings to other populations or cultural contexts. Variability in adolescents\u0026rsquo; life experiences, as well as their family and social environments, can influence their responses to the questionnaires, which may not reflect the general experience of the adolescent population. Moreover, the use of self-report scales may be subject to response bias. Participants may have responded in a socially desirable manner or may lack the self-awareness needed to accurately assess their own levels of neuroticism, emotional clarity, self-esteem, and positive affect. This phenomenon is common in psychological studies and may affect the validity of the measures used.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, this study shows that neuroticism and emotional intelligence are not mutually exclusive; rather, they can coexist. Additionally, the experience of positive affect and its influence on self-esteem appear to play a significant role in shaping the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a theoretical perspective, our results support the notion that positive emotions are not only a component of well-being but also play a crucial role in emotional self-regulation and self-understanding. The observed interaction between neuroticism and positive affect suggests that existing theoretical models of personality and emotional intelligence could benefit from integrating the concept of positive affect as a mediating or moderating variable. This integration could provide a more comprehensive understanding of how personality traits influence mental and emotional health. Furthermore, these findings support the potential benefits of intervention strategies that incorporate positive affect, particularly for adolescents experiencing higher levels of neuroticism, providing insights into some of the mechanisms involved in emotional understanding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this sense, it is necessary to implement educational initiatives, both inside and outside the classroom, that include training in appreciation skills and general life skills, as currently offered in positive psychology. This includes emotional education programs, as well as specific actions aimed at developing self-esteem in community, school, extracurricular, or family contexts. Self-esteem has been shown to act as a protective factor against the negative effects of neuroticism. Encouraging adolescents to set realistic goals, recognize their achievements, and foster a positive self-image can be essential for their personal development. Activities such as recognizing strengths, providing positive feedback, and creating a supportive environment can help build a solid foundation of self-esteem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorking with parents and educators to develop a holistic approach to fostering a positive family and school environment can also be crucial. Creating environments where adolescents feel safe to express their emotions and reflect on their experiences can enhance the effects of positive affect on their emotional development. These measures aim to mitigate the risks associated with high-neuroticism situations by providing the most appropriate affective and personal resources to buffer the effects of neuroticism on emotional understanding and prevent potential risks to adolescents\u0026rsquo; personal and emotional development.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, future research could explore how these dynamic interactions between neuroticism, positive affect, self-esteem, and emotional clarity develop longitudinally during adolescence, analyzing changes over time. It would also be valuable to investigate the effectiveness of intervention programs based on promoting positive affect and self-esteem to mitigate the negative effects of neuroticism in educational and family contexts. Furthermore, expanding the study to different cultural contexts could allow for generalizing the findings, considering cultural variations in emotional expression and parenting styles.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNFOR: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data analysis, Investigation, Writing-Original Draft, Writing-Review \u0026amp; Editing, Project administration. NNG: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing-Original Draft, Writing-Review \u0026amp; Editing. MAPG: Conceptualization, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing-Original Draft. JMMV: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing-Review \u0026amp; Editing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eDisclosure\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors report there are no conflicts of interest in this work.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnderson, C., John, O. P., \u0026amp; Keltner, D. (2012). 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Dark personality features and emotion dysregulation. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 34\u003c/em\u003e(8), 692. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2015.34.8.69\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"adolescence, subjective well-being, self-esteem, emotional intelligence, personality development","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6717889/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6717889/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity has been a prominent topic of research in the context of adult development and well-being. However, there is a scarcity of studies examining this relationship in adolescents. The primary aim of this research was to explore the role of positive affect and self-esteem in the associations between neuroticism and emotional clarity in adolescents. A sample of 742 secondary school adolescents (aged 13\u0026ndash;19) completed the Neuroticism subscale from the Big Five Inventory, the Emotional Clarity subscale of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Positive Affect Scale. Findings highlighted that positive affect acted as a buffer, moderating the negative associations between neuroticism, self-esteem, and emotional clarity. Additionally, self-esteem emerged as a mediating factor in the relationship between neuroticism and emotional clarity. These results suggest that the negative impact of neuroticism on self-esteem and emotional clarity could be alleviated by the experience of positive affect. Insights from this study can guide future interventions aimed at adolescents characterized by neuroticism and low emotional clarity, thus contributing to preventive health strategies.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The role of positive affect in the relationship between neuroticism, self-esteem, and emotional clarity in adolescents","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-30 09:57:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6717889/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"3015aedc-0e7b-4beb-8848-7d4ca4a2b288","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 30th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-07-30T01:38:26+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-30 09:57:58","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6717889","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6717889","identity":"rs-6717889","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}