Abstract
Adolescents in Lebanon face socioeconomic and political stressors that undermine socioemotional development and mental health. This study evaluated the Yes to Emotions (YEY) programme, a culturally adapted 11-session intervention to enhance trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI) and mental health. The sample comprised 712 adolescents (326 girls) aged 14–21 years from public schools allocated to either the YEY intervention (with voluntary diary completion) or a waitlist comparison condition. A mixed-methods design combined self-report and diary data. Results showed higher trait EI, intrapersonal emotional competencies, adaptive coping and reduced maladaptive coping and depressive symptoms. Effect sizes were larger in the diary group, whereas the non-diary group showed more modest gains and often did not differ from the waitlist comparison group. Qualitative findings illustrated the quantitative results, illustrating improvements in emotion regulation, self-esteem, empathy and interpersonal relationships. Findings support EI training and the potential value of emotional diaries in high-adversity contexts.