causal relationships between emotional intelligence and suicidal ideation in adolescents: evaluating the mediating role of finding meaning in life and perceived social support

Objective: the present study was conducted to explain the causal relationship between emotional intelligence (ei) and suicidal ideation (si) in adolescents living in state welfare organizations (swo) with the mediating role of finding meaning in life and perceived social support (pss).methods: the sample included 320 adolescents living in tehran’s swo, selected by multistage cluster sampling and participating in the research. the current research was descriptive and correlational (using structural equation modeling [sem]). the data were collected using the eiscale, the meaning in life questionnaire (mlq), and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (mspss) and were analyzed using spss software, version 22 and amos software, version 24.  results: the results showed that the model fits the collected data (χ²/df=2.37, comparative fit index [cfi]=0.957, goodness fit index [gfi]=0.920, adjusted gfi [agfi]=0.881, and root mean square error of approximation [rmsea]=0.066). direct path coefficient (pc) between ei (β=0.177, p>0.01), finding meaning in life (β=0.311, p>0.01), and pss (β=0.427, p>0.01) with si was negative and significant. the indirect pc between ei (β=-0.101, p=0.001) and finding meaning in life (β=0.111, p=0.001) with si was negative and significant. conclusion: the structural model of the research was the same in terms of fit with the data of two groups of girls and boys. adolescents living in swo are more vulnerable to suicide due to their unique experiences. finding meaning in life, higher ei and social connections can reduce si in adolescents and act as protective factors.