The role of the Dark Triad traits and two constructs of emotional intelligence on loneliness in adolescents

The social-emotional functions associated with the Dark Triad traits have recently been widely examined. However, no study has explored the relationship between the Dark Triad traits and loneliness in adolescents. The present study aimed to examine the direct and indirect contributions of the Dark Triad traits and both trait and ability emotional intelligence (i.e., El) to feelings of loneliness in a Chinese adolescent sample (N = 396). Results indicated that both the latent Dark Triad factor and the three Dark Triad traits contributed to loneliness among adolescents. While narcissism was negatively related to loneliness, Machiavellianism and psychopathy were positively associated with loneliness. With regard to trait and ability El, individuals high in Machiavellianism and psychopathy demonstrated significantly lower levels of trait El, while those with high Machiavellianism showed greater deficits on ability El. In contrast, narcissism was associated with impaired ability El and higher trait El. The El associated with each Dark Triad trait could explain some variance of loneliness. The mediation analyses for each of the Dark Triad traits revealed that ability El fully mediated the effect of Machiavellianism on loneliness, and trait El partially mediated the effect of narcissism on loneliness. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.