The Connection Between Dark Traits and Emotional Intelligence: A Multistudy Person-Centered Approach Pilar Rico‐Bordera, Jose A. Piqueras, Victoria Soto‐Sanz, Tíscar Rodríguez‐Jiménez, Juan C. Marzo, Manuel Galán, David Pineda Journal of Personality, 2025 ObjectiveSeveral studies have analyzed the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and dark personality, but the results are inconclusive. One study tested correlations between traits that may underlie a person‐centered profile of “dark EI.” Our study aimed to replicate and extend that research, identifying profiles in Spaniards and examining the differences between the profiles based on different variables of interest.MethodTwo studies were designed, the first one (N = 1241) focused on trait EI and the Dark Triad, and the second one expanding the previous (N = 392) focusing on ability EI and the Dark Tetrad.ResultsThree profiles were obtained in both studies: nondark and non‐EI profile, dark profile, and average narcissistic and high EI profile. The latter showed the highest self‐esteem, strengths, well‐being, and civic engagement, and the lowest psychological difficulties and personal distress.ConclusionsOur results reinforced the findings of the study we replicated, not supporting the presence of dark EI, but also not supporting the presence of high EI with very low levels of dark traits. These results have implications when designing preventive actions to improve emotional education.
Dark childhood, dark personality: Relations between experiences of child abuse and dark tetrad traits Manuel Galán, David Pineda, Pilar Rico-Bordera, Jose A. Piqueras, Peter Muris Personality and Individual Differences, 2025 Extensive literature connects the Dark personality traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism—with antisocial behaviours, but less is known about the origins of these traits. This study examines the relations between childhood abuse and Dark Tetrad traits. A cross-sectional retrospective research design was used involving a sample of 372 non-clinical adult participants who completed self-report measures assessing non-violent and violent parental discipline tactics and the Dark Tetrad traits. Correlations showed that all parental discipline tactics were positively related to Dark Tetrad traits. Regression analyses revealed that psychological aggression uniquely and positively predicted psychopathy and sadism, while severe assault emerged as a unique positive predictor of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Nonviolent discipline and corporal punishment or minor assault did not make a significant contribution to any of the dark traits. In conclusion, these findings suggest a modest but significant role of an adverse childhood environment in shaping dark personality traits.
Suicidal Behavior in University Students in Spain: a Network Analysis Victoria Soto‐Sanz, Álvaro García del Castillo‐López, David Pineda, Raquel Falcó, Tíscar Rodríguez‐Jiménez, Juan C. Marzo, José A. Piqueras Brain and Behavior, 2025 IntroductionSuicidal behavior is a significant mental health concern among university students, yet it remains underexplored through a network approach. Traditional methods often overlook the complex interplay of psychological factors influencing suicidal behavior. This study addresses this gap by (a) examining suicidal behavior using network analysis and (b) identifying the psychological network of suicidal behavior along with protective and risk factors among university students.MethodThe sample consisted of a total of 1048 Spanish university students (M = 20.5 years; SD = 2.5; 58.2% women) from various universities. Several instruments were used to measure suicidal behavior, emotional and behavioral difficulties, prosocial behavior, subjective well‐being, emotional intelligence, self‐esteem, empathy, affect (both positive and negative), and emotional regulation. Data were analyzed using network analysis to understand the relationships among these variables.ResultsA total of 21.5% of the participants had experienced suicidal thoughts, 26.3% had wished to be dead or not wake up, 15% had considered specific suicide methods or made plans, and 5.8% had attempted suicide at least once. In addition, 18% had engaged in non‐suicidal self‐injury (NSSI) at least once. Network analysis revealed that suicidal behavior was highly interconnected with other psychological factors, with “considered taking own life” as the most influential node. Key factors included depressive symptoms, positive affect, and emotional intelligence. Suicidal behavior showed a positive connection with depressive symptoms and negative affect and a negative connection with self‐esteem and positive affect. Stability analysis confirmed the accuracy of the network estimations, indicating reliable insights into the psychological interconnections.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that suicidal behavior in university students is a complex, dynamic system shaped by cognitive, emotional, and affective factors. Network analysis, through advanced psychopathological and psychometric models, offers valuable insights into suicidal behavior, improving risk and protective factor assessment. This highlights the need for targeted and comprehensive prevention strategies in educational settings.
Assessing the dark personality traits with observer reports: A meta-analysis of inter-rater agreement on the Dark Triad and Dark Tetrad traits Pilar Rico‐Bordera, David Pineda, Manuel Galán, José A. Piqueras Personality and Mental Health, 2025 Assessing dark personality traits with self‐reports may be hampered by biases such as socially desirable responding. To address this, observer reports could be an effective complement or alternative to self‐reports. This meta‐analysis aimed to investigate the correlations of observer reports of the Dark Triad and Dark Tetrad traits with these traits' self‐reports. A comprehensive search in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO yielded 24 studies that met the inclusion criteria (with 32 effect sizes) and included the assessment of at least one of the dark traits. Results showed positive self‐observer correlations of medium‐high magnitude for psychopathy (r = 0.47) and of medium magnitude for narcissism and Machiavellianism (respectively, r = 0.44 and 0.41). In addition, for Machiavellianism and psychopathy, it was shown that the better acquainted the observer and the observed, the higher the self‐observer correlations. For sadism, no results could be obtained because only one study included the assessment of this trait. This is the first meta‐analysis of inter‐rater agreement in assessing the Dark Tetrad. The findings suggest that observer reports could be a supplement or even be alternatives to self‐reports when assessing the Dark Tetrad traits.
Autonomy support in higher education: a key strategy for the well-being of university students DAVID PINEDA, JOSE EDUARDO LOZANO-JIMENEZ, Juan Antonio Moreno-Murcia F1000research, 2025 Introduction Amid changing social dynamics, the world of higher education faces, among other challenges, the growing impact on the mental health of students. In this scenario, the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) highlights the important role of autonomy support as it generates positive effects on students' motivation and well-being. Methods The present study tests the predictive capacity of the teacher’s interpersonal style of autonomy support in a higher education institution, in relation to the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, autonomous motivation and depressive symptoms. A sample composed of 356 Spanish university students of which 237 were male (66.57%) from different grades and courses, aged between 17 and 57 years (M = 20.83; SD = 3.44), from middle socioeconomic strata, was used, and selected through purposive sampling. Results After the analysis of structural equations, the results showed that the teacher’s interpersonal style of autonomy support positively predicted: the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, and autonomous motivation; but negatively depressive symptoms. Conclusions The model describes the possible importance of promoting the teacher’s interpersonal style of autonomy support in higher education as a protective factor for well-being and mental health. These findings highlight the importance of motivational strategies that higher education teachers must implement to promote student motivation and well-being.
Relationship Love Styles’ Effects on Conflict, Emotional Intelligence, and Sexual Satisfaction: A Latent Profile Analysis Álvaro García del Castillo-López, María Berenguer-Soler, David Pineda Sage Open, 2025 To examine the influence of love styles on specific couple dynamics (conflict, emotional intelligence, emotional flooding, and sexual satisfaction) in romantic relationships from a person-centered approach. Understanding love styles is an essential part of both romantic relationship satisfaction and longevity, but previous research has primarily focused on variable analyses that exclude individual idiosyncrasy without examining whether these styles might interact with specific couple dynamics from a person-centered perspective. The study used a cross-sectional design and recruited 823 Spanish participants through convenience and snowball sampling. Key measures included the Love Attitudes Scale (LAS), the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24), the Emotional Flooding in Couple Relationships Scale, and the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction (GMSEX). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to classify participants into distinct profiles based on their love styles, followed by ANOVA to analyze differences between profiles on conflict, emotional flooding, sexual satisfaction, and emotional intelligence. Four profiles emerged from the LPA: Slightly Unstable Player (SUP), Non-Passionate Selfless (NPS), Unfriendly Non-Player (UNP), and Friendly Non-Player (FNP). The profiles differed significantly on conflict frequency, emotional flooding, sexual satisfaction, and emotional intelligence. Different love styles influence relationship dynamics, with playful and unstable love styles associated with higher conflict and emotional flooding, whereas friendship-based, stable love styles increase sexual satisfaction and reduce conflict. The identification of distinct love style profiles not captured by traditional approaches revealed important differences in couple dynamics, adding new insights to the scientific literature and highlighting its potential for improving relationship counseling.
Construction and Validation of a Measure of Children’s Sleep Difficulties: The Nighttime Behaviors Questionnaire for Children – Parent-Reported (NBQC-P) Víctor Amorós-Reche, Marina Serrano-Ortiz, Àngela Belzunegui-Pastor, David Pineda, Mireia Orgilés Revista Iberoamericana De Psicologia Y Salud, 2025 <title>Abstract</title> <sec> <title>Background/Objective:</title> <p> Sleep problems in children impair their quality of life and that of their families. However, existing psychometric tools have certain limitations, highlighting the need to develop new measures to assess specific behaviors. This study aimed to develop a new measure to assess sleep difficulties, the Nighttime Behavior Questionnaire for Children - Parent-reported (NBQC-P), and to evaluate its psychometric properties. </p> </sec> <sec> <title>Method:</title> <p> Parents of 386 children aged 3 to 8 years (52.3% boys) completed the NBQC-P along with measures of abilities in the dark, nighttime fears, and anxiety. </p> </sec> <sec> <title>Results:</title> <p> After the removal of some items due to low communalities and cross-loadings, Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded a three-factor solution with 13 items. This structure was subsequently tested in Confirmatory Factor Analysis, demonstrating acceptable fit indices. The questionnaire covers three dimensions: Need for company to sleep, Problems during the night, and Problems when going to sleep. Internal consistency was good for the first dimension and acceptable for the others. Concurrent and discriminant validity were assessed with other constructs. Configural, metric, scalar and latent mean measurement invariance was established for gender and age. </p> </sec> <sec> <title>Discussion:</title> <p> Despite some limitations, the NBQC-P is a valid and reliable tool for assessing overt sleep difficulties commonly present in children.</p> </sec>
Examining the psychology of Hungarian online trolls and trolling: Interim Findings from an International Internet-based Cross-Sectional Survey Study Psychiatria Hungarica A Magyar Pszichiatriai Tarsasag Tudomanyos Folyoirata, 2024
Relationship of anxiety and depressive symptomatology in adolescents with two transdiagnostic mechanisms: Perfectionism and rumination Behavioral Psychology Psicologia Conductual, 2018
Desarrollo del Cuestionario sobre las Formas de Enseñar (CFE) en Educación Física: evidencias preliminares JA Moreno-Murcia, D García Gandía, D Pineda Revista de Formación en Educación 1 (6) , 2026 2026
The Dark Side of Desire: Violent Pornography, Problematic Sexual Internet Use and Their Associations with the Dark Tetrad M Galán, P Rico-Bordera, D Pineda, E Bøckmann, JA Piqueras Sexual Health & Compulsivity 33 (1), 90-107 , 2026 2026
The Interpersonal Antagonism Scale: A Brief Spanish Measure for Assessing the Dark Tetrad of Personality D Pineda, M Galán, P Rico-Bordera, JA Piqueras Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice, 1-23 , 2025 2025
Towards the Non-Self-Reported Assessment of the Dark Traits 20 Years Later: A Systematic Review P Rico-Bordera, M Galán, D Pineda, JA Piqueras Psychological Reports, 00332941251363486 , 2025 2025
Relationship Love Styles’ Effects on Conflict, Emotional Intelligence, and Sexual Satisfaction: A Latent Profile Analysis Á García del Castillo-López, M Berenguer-Soler, D Pineda SAGE Open 15 (3), 1-20 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Construction and validation of a measure of children’s sleep difficulties: The Nighttime Behaviors Questionnaire for Children - Parent-Reported (NBQC-P) V Amorós-Reche, M Serrano-Ortiz, À Belzunegui-Pastor, D Pineda, ... Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología y Salud 16 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Thoughts between dark personality and aggression: The mediating role of violent ideation P Rico-Bordera, D Pineda, JA Piqueras, M Galán Personality and Individual Differences 241, 113176 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
The Connection Between Dark Traits and Emotional Intelligence: A Multistudy Person‐Centered Approach PR Bordera, JA Piqueras, VS Sanz, TR Jiménez, JC Marzo, M Galán, ... Journal of Personality , 2025 2025 Citations: 7
Dark childhood, dark personality: Relations between experiences of child abuse and dark tetrad traits M Galan, D Pineda, P Rico-Bordera, JA Piqueras, P Muris Personality and Individual Differences 238, 113089 , 2025 2025 Citations: 10
Suicidal behavior in university students in Spain: A network analysis V Soto‐Sanz, Á García del Castillo‐López, D Pineda, R Falcó, ... Brain and Behavior 15 (4), e70457 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Assessing the dark personality traits with observer reports: A meta‐analysis of inter‐rater agreement on the Dark Triad and Dark Tetrad traits P Rico‐Bordera, D Pineda, M Galán, JA Piqueras Personality and mental health 19 (1), e1639 , 2025 2025 Citations: 14
Conectando personalidad y violencia: Un análisis de redes entre la tétrada oscura y las formas de agresión en la pareja L Valls, M Galán, AM Martínez, D Pineda XVI CONGRESO (INTER) NACIONAL DE PSICOLOGÍA JURÍDICA FORENSE: Libro de Actas … , 2025 2025
Percepción de rasgos oscuros en la pareja y victimización: Un estudio correlacional heteroinformado M Galán, L Valls, S Barrera, D Pineda XVI CONGRESO (INTER) NACIONAL DE PSICOLOGÍA JURÍDICA FORENSE: Libro de Actas … , 2025 2025
Empatía y rasgos oscuros: Perfiles diferenciales en la perpetración de violencia en la pareja D Pineda, AM Martínez, L Valls, M Galán XVI CONGRESO (INTER) NACIONAL DE PSICOLOGÍA JURÍDICA FORENSE: Libro de Actas … , 2025 2025
Relación entre el uso de redes sociales, el estrés digital y el bienestar psicosocial MCN López, MR Aguilar, AM Martínez, D Pineda Innovación docente en salud: explorando retos y oportunidades en la … , 2025 2025
Spanish adaptation of the Social Worries Questionnaire (SWQ): A tool to assess social anxiety in preadolescent children V Amorós-Reche, D Pineda, M Orgilés, JP Espada Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy 42 (4), 796-811 , 2024 2024 Citations: 4
Unveiling the depths of Tinder: Decoding the Dark Tetrad and sociosexuality in motives behind online dating P Rico-Bordera, M Galán, D Pineda, JA Piqueras Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 18 (5) , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
How spiteful are we? Validation of the spitefulness scale in Spaniards D Pineda, P Rico‐Bordera, M Ballester‐Pascual, JA Piqueras, M Galán Aggressive Behavior 50 (6), e70008 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
The influence of dark personality and pornography on sexual aggression beliefs M Galán, D Pineda, P Rico-Bordera, A Martínez-Martínez, JA Piqueras Frontiers in Psychology 15, 1471438 , 2024 2024 Citations: 8
Az online trollok és trollkodás pszichológiájának vizsgálata Magyarországon: Egy nemzetközi, internet-alapú keresztmetszeti kérdôíves vizsgálat részeredményei. V Edit, C Gábor, E March, S Viktória, KA Szonja, A Júlia, F Kinga, V Kornél, ... Psychiatria Hungarica 39 (4) , 2024 2024
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale: A systematic review and reliability generalization meta-analysis JA Piqueras, M Martín-Vivar, B Sandin, C San Luis, D Pineda Journal of affective disorders 218, 153-169 , 2017 2017 Citations: 274
Psychometrics properties of the Spanish version of two dark triad scales: the dirty dozen and the short dark triad D Pineda, B Sandín, P Muris Current Psychology 39 (5), 1873-1881 , 2020 2020 Citations: 136
Intimate partner homicide risk assessment by police in Spain: The dual protocol VPR5. 0-H JJ López-Ossorio, D Pineda Psychosocial intervention , 2020 2020 Citations: 79
Same personality, new ways to abuse: How dark tetrad personalities are connected with cyber intimate partner violence D Pineda, M Galán, A Martínez-Martínez, DM Campagne, JA Piqueras Journal of interpersonal violence 37 (13-14), NP11223-NP11241 , 2022 2022 Citations: 74
Invarianza factorial y temporal del Cuestionario de Regulación Emocional (ERQ). D Pineda, R M Valiente, P Chorot, J Antonio Piqueras, B Sandín Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica 23 (2), 109 , 2018 2018 Citations: 54
Protocolo unificado para el tratamiento transdiagnóstico de los trastornos emocionales en adolescentes a través de internet (iUP-A): Aplicación web y protocolo de un ensayo … B Sandín, RM Valiente, J García-Escalera, D Pineda, V Espinosa, ... Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica 24 (3), 197-215 , 2019 2019 Citations: 49
Everyday sadism: psychometric properties of three Spanish versions for assessing the construct D Pineda, JA Piqueras, M Galán, A Martínez-Martínez Current Psychology 42 (2), 1137-1145 , 2023 2023 Citations: 41
Dark tetrad personality traits also play a role in bullying victimization D Pineda, P Rico-Bordera, A Martínez-Martínez, M Galán, JA Piqueras Frontiers in psychology 13, 984744 , 2022 2022 Citations: 39
Prevalence of child sexual abuse in Spain: A survey study D Pineda, P Muris, A Martínez-Martínez, JA Piqueras European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context 15 (2), 83-88 , 2023 2023 Citations: 38
Confirmatory factor analysis and psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale− 30 (RCADS-30) in clinical and non-clinical samples JA Piqueras, D Pineda, M Martin-Vivar, B Sandín Asociación Española de Psicología Clínica y Psicopatología , 2017 2017 Citations: 38
The Dark Tetrad and online sexual victimization: Enjoying in the distance D Pineda, A Martinez-Martinez, M Galan, P Rico-Bordera, JA Piqueras Computers in Human Behavior 142, 107659 , 2023 2023 Citations: 36
Relación de la ansiedad y la depresión en adolescentes con dos mecanismos transdiagnósticos: el perfeccionismo y la rumiación L Ferrer, M Martín Vivar, D Pineda Fundación VECA para el Avance de la Psicología Clínica Conductual , 2018 2018 Citations: 32
Factorial invariance and norms of the 30-item shortened-version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-30) D Pineda, M Martín-Vivar, B Sandín, JA Piqueras Psicothema 30 (2), 232-237 , 2018 2018 Citations: 29
Escala de Síntomas de los Trastornos de Ansiedad y Depresión (ESTAD): Datos preliminares sobre su estructura factorial y sus propiedades psicométricas B Sandín, RM Valiente, D Pineda, J García-Escalera, P Chorot Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica 23 (3), 163-177 , 2018 2018 Citations: 25
Women victims of intimate partner violence and intimate partner homicide: A typology based on victimization variables D Pineda, P Rico-Bordera, M Galán, JA Piqueras, JL González-Álvarez Psychosocial Intervention 32 (1), 43 , 2023 2023 Citations: 22
Socio-emotional strengths against psychopathology and suicidal ideation in fear of COVID-19 V Soto-Sanz, R Falcó, JC Marzo, JA Piqueras, ... Current Psychology 42 (12), 10344-10354 , 2023 2023 Citations: 20
Construcción y validación preliminar de la Escala Multidimensional de Sensibilidad al Asco (EMA) B Sandín, P Chorot, RM Valiente, MA Santed, M Olmedo, D Pineda, ... Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica 18 (1), 1-18 , 2013 2013 Citations: 20
Effects of the action for neutralization of bullying program on bullying in Spanish schoolchildren A Martínez-Martínez, D Pineda, M Galán, JC Marzo, JA Piqueras International journal of environmental research and public health 18 (13), 6898 , 2021 2021 Citations: 18
Procesos transdiagnósticos asociados a los síntomas de los trastornos de ansiedad y depresivos D Pineda Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid (tesis doctoral) , 2018 2018 Citations: 17
Dimensiones de sensibilidad al asco y predicción diferencial de los síntomas fóbicos B Sandín, RM Valiente, P Chorot, MA Santed, D Pineda Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica 18 (1), 19-30 , 2013 2013 Citations: 17