Actualmente se evidencian dificultades en materia de resiliencia en la población, resultando en dos grandes problemas de salud en la población general; además, son cada vez más frecuentes en la población joven desde una edad temprana [ 1 ]. Por un lado, estas dificultades están asociadas con los trastornos mentales y, por otro lado, con la urgencia de autoconocimiento y autogestión en la atención sanitaria personal [2 ] . El estudio presentado tiene como objetivo contribuir a la prevención de estos trastornos y la formulación de estrategias para promover un estilo de vida saludable y adquirir hábitos que mejoren la salud mental en estudiantes universitarios [ 3 , 4 ]. Son diversos los trastornos de salud mental observados en adultos jóvenes (en la etapa universitaria), destacando la ansiedad generalizada y manifestaciones físicas y emocionales como inquietud, nerviosismo, angustia, ansiedad anticipatoria, alteración cognitiva, etc. Un trastorno mental “afecta la salud mental y laboral capacidad y productividad” [ 5 ]. Además, existe una alta prevalencia de depresión y altos niveles de estrés entre la población universitaria [ 6 ]. Esta situación es preocupante ya que se estima que más de 260 millones de personas padecen trastornos de ansiedad [ 5 ]. La ansiedad afecta el bienestar emocional y también tiene un impacto negativo significativo en la calidad de vida y en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes universitarios [ 7 , 8 ]. Es urgente abordar estos problemas asociados a la ansiedad de forma temprana y eficaz, mediante la implementación de programas de intervención específicos diseñados para la población joven, como se destaca en varios informes. Un estudio de la OMS sostiene que “los programas de prevención y tratamiento de la ansiedad en adolescentes pueden reducir la incidencia de trastornos mentales a largo plazo” [ 9 ]. Estos programas deben diseñarse para proporcionar apoyo psicológico y habilidades de afrontamiento y deben implementarse en todos los entornos educativos, incluido el entorno universitario [ 4 ].

The work of developing intrapersonal intelligence has a special relevance in the university environment, making it necessary to prepare proposals for its development. Currently, the two most difficult situations that are evident internationally among the young university population are as follows: (a) It has been observed in the classrooms that students exhibit a variety of problems in integrating the curricular contents in a practical and applied way into their learning process. Furthermore, they may have great abilities pertaining to memorizing or retaining information; however, they have low acquisition levels of emotional competencies [10,11], and thus, they show no comprehensive development during the learning process (at cognitive, emotional, and practical levels). (b) The other situation refers to the lack of development and manifestation of personal competencies, such as emotional self-awareness, an optimal level of self-esteem, demonstration of self-discipline, capacity for conflict resolution (dialogue), practice of metacognition and emotional resilience, and introspection, which are aspects that define the main characteristics of intrapersonal intelligence according to González [12]. All of this information indicates that people with high intrapersonal intelligence (II) have self-awareness and introspection and self-evaluation skills and can analyze their own experiences and emotions using the provided information to improve their lives and achieve their goals. They can also set realistic goals and develop strategies to achieve those goals and be more aware of their own thoughts and emotions, acquiring the ability to regulate them and adapt them to different situations. They are also able to resist social pressure and maintain their own identity and personal values [13].

To tackle the first problem, associated with the form and level of student learning, Howard Gardner’s model [14] proposed a solution using multiple intelligences, demonstrating that there is no single type of intelligence, i.e., different abilities and talents are manifested by a person when their capacity for learning and personal, academic, and sociocultural development is stimulated. Intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence are two of the eight multiple intelligences that Gardner describes. The first of them refers to an individual’s ability to understand themselves, their emotions, motivations, strengths, weaknesses, and thoughts. This intelligence also includes the ability to think about oneself and recognize how actions and decisions affect others.

Regarding the development of intrapersonal intelligence, there are other theories that offer a unique understanding of intrapersonal intelligence and add value to personal growth and reflection, promoting the ability to know oneself and reflect on one’s experiences and emotions. There are models of intrapersonal intelligence that emphasize that self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and personal autonomy are related to success in personal and professional life. Improving intrapersonal intelligence can help in greater management and understanding of emotions and behaviors by focusing on knowledge about oneself and how that perception influences the actions and decisions of one’s mind [15]. A clear understanding of one’s needs and values allows people to take more objective decisions that reflect their identity and principles. According to Sternberg [16], the proposed intrapersonal intelligence model describes people’s ability to understand and regulate their own emotions, thoughts, and motivations, which are essential to achieve personal and professional goals. This intelligence consists of three main skills, i.e., self-awareness, self-regulation, and motivation.

Peter Salovey and John Mayer [17] conducted research on intrapersonal intelligence in the 1990s. They defended the idea that intrapersonal intelligence is a form of intelligence that can be measured and developed with great success [17]. It relates to people’s ability to understand and regulate their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions and how they can use this ability to guide their actions and take effective decisions. Daniel Goleman’s intrapersonal intelligence model [18] consists of four main components, i.e., emotion recognition, emotion easiness, emotion understanding, and emotion regulation. Each of these components is essential and can be developed through education and training.

With the objective of devising a comprehensive approach to “intelligence”, Goleman develops the concept of “interpersonal intelligence” as the cognitive ability related to people’s ability to understand and connect with others. This type of intelligence includes the social need for acquiring the ability to recognize the feelings and needs of others and the ability to establish and maintain positive social relationships. People with high interpersonal intelligence have an excellent ability to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts constructively, have teamwork skills, and lead groups successfully. Interpersonal intelligence is essential for success in both your personal and professional life, as most relationships are usually based on your ability to interact and connect effectively with others. It seems that people with high interpersonal intelligence understand the emotions of those around them, which favors their appropriate responses in social environments. They notice and comprehend non-verbal communication, reading gestures, facial expressions, and the tone of voice, which allows them to accurately interpret the emotions of others [19].

Considering the multifactorial development of a person from an adaptive perspective when facing diverse life experiences, the person’s negative interpretation of some emotional stimuli can indicate threat, especially during social interactions, and the cognitive processing capacity of sadness, anger, etc., and of other emotional information plays a decisive role in the adaptability of an individual in their social life [20,21]. People deal with interpersonal challenges in the academic environment, including the university environment [22] and in several work scenarios. These challenges are real and should be effectively handled by people and their communities.

Según los postulados de la ciencia del desarrollo, parece que no existe una etapa exclusiva en el desarrollo del ser humano que sea más propicia que aquella que fomenta las capacidades personales básicas. Trabajar sobre la base del conocimiento de las ciencias biológicas y el comportamiento humano, junto con la implementación de la resolución de problemas/conflictos intra e interpersonales en situaciones, apunta hacia soluciones más efectivas para enfrentar la adversidad [22 ] . De esta manera, la regulación emocional puede ayudar al desempeño y mejora de variables como la resiliencia, entendida como el proceso de adaptación adecuada (logrando un equilibrio personal y social) en el contexto de adversidad [ 23 ] . Según Rutter [ 24 ], la resiliencia implica una interacción dinámica entre factores internos y externos que incluyen, entre otros, la regulación emocional y la capacidad de afrontamiento, observándose mejoras en la resiliencia debido a la inteligencia interpersonal e intrapersonal específicamente en estudiantes universitarios [25 ] ; sin embargo, el trabajo de Rutter es aplicable a cualquier edad [ 26 , 27 ].