Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSREI) in a sample of male offenders

Some studies assess impairments in emotional functioning of offenders using measures of emotional intelligence (EI). Such measures were developed for use in general populations, and may not be suitable for offender samples. This study explores the factor structure of a commonly used trait EI measure for a sample of adult male offenders, and comments on its usefulness as a measure of emotional functioning for this group. We find that, although the SSREI can be indicated to be multi-dimensional, the exact nature of its factors remains unclear for forensic samples. We conclude by suggesting that the social contexts and encounters that provoke emotion may be different for offenders and non-offenders, and that there is a need to develop a trait EI measure specific to forensic populations.