Emotional intelligence and calling among police cadets: Cross-sectional indirect associations through emotion regulation and psychological well-being
Abstract
Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examined whether emotion regulation (ER) and psychological well-being (PWB) statistically accounted for indirect associations between emotional intelligence (EI) and calling among 529 Chinese police cadets. Using cross-sectional survey data and structural equation modeling, EI was positively associated with calling directly and indirectly through ER, through PWB, and through the hypothesized ordering of ER and PWB. The PWB-only indirect estimate was numerically the largest, and the direct association remained significant. Because all variables were assessed at one time point, these indirect associations do not establish temporal ordering or causality. The pattern is consistent with a COR-based account in which higher EI co-occurs with greater reported ER, PWB, and calling. These findings identify emotional competencies, well-being, and occupational meaning as candidate targets for future longitudinal and intervention research in police-academy settings.
Related
- Emotional Intelligence, Instructor Warmth, and Metacognitive Effort Regulation in Nursing Students: An Exploratory Two-Institution Correlational Study in China and Pakistan
- Social relationships, emotion regulation, and emotional wellbeing in adolescence: associations in youth with and without a migratory background.
- Associations Between Interoceptive Awareness, Psychological State, and Physical Performance in Sport-Science Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Psychological Symptoms in Children with Radioulnar Synostosis: Associations with Self-Appraised Resilience, Parental Anxiety and Measured Elbow and Shoulder Function in a Cross-Sectional Multi-Informant Study
- Emotional intelligence and life satisfaction among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study
BibTeX
@article{bao2026emotional,
title = {{Emotional intelligence and calling among police cadets: Cross-sectional indirect associations through emotion regulation and psychological well-being}},
author = {Kai Bao and Shicun Xu and Weicai Li and Yingwei Song and Xinfeng Liu and Qingxin Ning and Yinan Li and Xiang Che},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-74383-w},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74383-w},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Emotional intelligence and calling among police cadets: Cross-sectional indirect associations through emotion regulation and psychological well-being
AU - Kai Bao
AU - Shicun Xu
AU - Weicai Li
AU - Yingwei Song
AU - Xinfeng Liu
AU - Qingxin Ning
AU - Yinan Li
AU - Xiang Che
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-74383-w
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-74383-w
AB - Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examined whether emotion regulation (ER) and psychological well-being (PWB) statistically accounted for indirect associations between emotional intelligence (EI) and calling among 529 Chinese police cadets. Using cross-sectional survey data and structural equation modeling, EI was positively associated with calling directly and indirectly through ER, through PWB, and through the hypothesized ordering of ER and PWB. The PWB-only indirect estimate was numerically the largest, and the direct association remained significant. Because all variables were assessed at one time point, these indirect associations do not establish temporal ordering or causality. The pattern is consistent with a COR-based account in which higher EI co-occurs with greater reported ER, PWB, and calling. These findings identify emotional competencies, well-being, and occupational meaning as candidate targets for future longitudinal and intervention research in police-academy settings.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -