Structural pathways from emotional intelligence to psychological well-being: evidence of gender differences among Chinese young adults

Background Emotional intelligence (EI) has been linked to psychological well-being (PWB), but the mechanisms underlying this association and possible gender differences remain unclear among Chinese young adults. This study aimed to examine whether academic self-efficacy and academic resilience mediate the associations between four EI dimensions and PWB, and whether these structural pathways differ by gender. Methods Using stratified random sampling, 951 Chinese undergraduates from three comprehensive universities in Guangzhou (M age = 19.52, SD = 0.84) completed validated self-report measures of EI, PWB, academic self-efficacy, and academic resilience. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM were employed to estimate direct and indirect effects. Results Academic self-efficacy significantly mediated the associations of the action-oriented EI dimensions (i.e., use of emotion and regulation of emotion) with PWB in both male and female groups. By contrast, academic resilience showed no significant indirect effects. In the structural model, others’ emotion appraisal was positively associated with academic resilience and PWB among females, but these associations were not significant among males. Conclusion These findings identify academic self-efficacy as a key pathway linking EI to PWB in Chinese young adults, with a broadly consistent pattern across genders. Additionally, a gender-specific role for others’ emotion appraisal was identified. The results have implications for theory and for the development of well-being interventions for young adults.