Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the TMMS-24 in an Ecuadorian School-Aged Population

Abstract

Emotional intelligence is a key component of academic adjustment and socio-emotional development during childhood. The Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) is one of the most widely used self-report instruments to assess perceived emotional intelligence. However, its application in child populations requires adaptation processes to ensure contextual appropriateness. The objective of this study was to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of a modified version of the TMMS-24 in an Ecuadorian school sample. The instrument maintained its original 24-item structure, which were linguistically reformulated to suit the developmental level of children. A total of 457 students (50.8% male and 49.2% female) participated, hailing from 22 public and private educational institutions in the canton of Cuenca. Exploratory factor analysis suggested alternative two- and one-dimensional structures. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-dimensional model (emotional attention, emotional clarity, and emotional repair) exhibited adequate goodness-of-fit indices and internal consistency. Item-level analyses indicated the need for specific adjustments to item 12 to improve its comprehension. Taken together, the findings support the validity and reliability of the adapted version of the TMMS-24 for assessing perceived emotional intelligence in the Ecuadorian school-aged population.