Psychometric Properties of the Socio-Emotional Competence Assessment Scale (ECSE) in the Cuban Context.

Background: Socio-emotional competencies are important for mental health and successful human interaction. In the university context, strengthening socio-emotional competencies is essential for fostering a collaborative learning environment, where students can manage academic stress and build meaningful connections with their peers. Objective: To test the psychometric properties of the Socio-Emotional Competence Assessment Scale in the Cuban population. Design: Two cross-sectional studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 640) assessed the psychometric properties of the Socio-Emotional Competence Assessment Scale within the Cuban population. In Study 2 (N = 913), the nomological validity of the scale was evaluated. Results: In Study 1, the scale demonstrated high internal consistency and the expected three-factor structure. We had to eliminate one item, as it was negatively correlated with the rest of the scale items; the result was the Cuban ECSE. In Study 2, we tested the nomological validity of the scale: we found that socio-emotional competencies had medium-sized positive correlations with subjective well-being and perceived academic self-efficacy. Negative associations were found between socio-emotional competencies and academic stress. Additionally, socio-emotional competencies were positively and statistically significantly correlated with the dimension of coping strategies in response to stressful stimuli or situations. Conclusion: The use of the ECSE is recommended in the Cuban context.