Structural Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence, Well-Being, and Psychological Distress: A Multi-Group SEM Study Among Undergraduate Physical Education Students in Three Arab Countries

Kashef N ZayedEhab OmaraMAHFOODHA SULAIMAN AL KITANI^*Ali Al YaariibiKhalifa Al-JadidiAbdul Rahim Al DaroushiMajid Al BusafiAmin GaafarHeba Al-AshkarBadriya AL HaddabiEzzeldin Ali

• Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman

Background: Emotional intelligence (EI) has been consistently associated with higher levels of psychological well-being (WB) and lower levels of psychological distress (PD). Yet, relatively little is known about how these relationships operate within Arab cultural contexts, especially among students training to become professionals in fields that promote both mental and physical health. This study aimed to investigate how EI, WB, and PD are connected in undergraduate physical education students from Oman, Kuwait, and Jordan. It also examined whether WB helps explain the link between EI and PD and whether the proposed model holds consistently across these different cultural settings. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used with a sample of 788 undergraduate physical education students. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing EI (Five dimensions: Self-Awareness, Empathy, Self-Regulation, Social Regulation, and Emotional Control), psychological well-being (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale), and psychological distress (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) evaluated the measurement models, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) tested direct and indirect relationships. Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) examined measurement invariance across the three countries. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses provided additional support for the model. Results: CFA confirmed the validity and reliability of the measures across all three samples. SEM showed that EI had a significant positive effect on WB and an indirect negative effect on PD through WB. While configural and metric invariance were established, scalar invariance was not, limiting mean-level comparisons across countries. Nonetheless, the achieved invariance allowed valid structural analyses. Mediation analysis revealed that WB significantly mediated the EI-PD relationship in Kuwait, but not in Oman or Jordan.The study highlights the positive role of emotional intelligence in enhancing well-being and reducing psychological distress among university students in Arab contexts. However, the pathways linking these constructs may differ across cultural settings. These findings emphasize the need for culturally sensitive approaches to emotional intelligence training and mental health promotion, especially for students preparing to serve as future educators and health professionals.