Emotional intelligence and peer support as determinants of psychological resilience in adolescents in digital contexts

Abstract

In the current digital ecosystem, social media create informal learning environments that profoundly impact adolescent identity construction and socialization processes (Boyd, 2014; Livingstone, 2014). Despite opportunities for participation, these spaces expose young people to systemic vulnerabilities such as cyberbullying, misinformation, and risks to their psychological and educational well-being (Keles et al., 2020; Odgers & Jensen, 2020).

This study, within the framework of media education (Rivoltella, 2017) and socio-emotional learning (Brackett et al., 2011), investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence, peer support, and digital resilience.

Using a quantitative research design, a survey was conducted on a sample of 350 secondary school students, using validated scales (SSEIT, CD-RISC, PSQ). The results of the multiple regression analyses indicate that the model explains 77.3% of the variance in digital resilience (R2 = 0.773; p < 0.001), with peer support being the most significant predictor (β = 0.562). Evidence suggests the need to integrate interventions aimed at strengthening relational skills and emotional intelligence into school curricula, understood as key pedagogical tools for informed digital citizenship (Rivoltella & Rossi, 2019).