The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and the Risk of Eating Disorders Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Motivation for the Use of Social Media and Moderation of Perceived Social Support

Trait Emotional Intelligence (Trait EI) is considered a protective factor for adolescents' psychological well-being and may play a critical role in mitigating the risk of developing eating disorders (EDs), particularly in the context of pervasive social media use. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship, such as the driving factors of social media engagement, remain underexplored. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine whether motivating factors for social media use mediate the relationship between Trait EI and ED risk, as well as whether perceived social support moderates this relationship. A total of 388 Italian adolescents (Mage = 14.2; 50.7% girls) completed self-report questionnaires, including the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Motivations for Social Media Use Scale (MSMU). Data were collected between November 2023 and June 2024. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 5). The results showed that lower Trait EI scores were significantly associated with higher EAT-26 scores (beta = -11.03, p < 0.001). Motivation for social media use in terms of popularity, (beta = -0.35, p < 0.05), appearance (beta = -0.68, p < 0.01), and connection (beta = -0.44, p < 0.05) significantly mediated this relationship. Perceived social support moderated this relationship in all models (beta range = 0.08-0.10, p < 0.05), suggesting a buffering effect. The findings highlight the importance of Emotional Intelligence and social support as key psychological resources that may protect adolescents from disordered eating behaviors. Moreover, understanding the motivating factors behind social media use, particularly those centered on appearance and popularity, may help identify adolescents at greater risk and inform tailored prevention strategies.