Albagawi, Bander SaadAlsalamah, Yasir S.Dabosi, ShahdAlharbi, Maryam SaadAlkharji, Sara A.Alrawili, Rakan MansuorBabkair, LisaFawaz, Mirna2025-11-052025-11-052025-07Albagawi, B.S., Alsalamah, Y.S., Dabosi, S., et al. The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem and Mental Wellbeing in the Association Between Emotional Intelligence and Motivation Among Saudi Nursing Students. Sage Open Nursing. 2025; 11: 1-13. doi: 10.1177/23779608251365315.2377-9608 (online)10.1177/23779608251365315http://hdl.handle.net/2263/105117AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIALS : The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.INTRODUCTION : Much emphasis has been placed on the critical role that emotional intelligence plays in influencing university students’ motivation to learn. OBJECTIVE : The current investigation examined the link that exists between emotional intelligence and learning motivation among Saudi undergraduate nursing students, as well as the mediating and moderating effects that mental well- being and self-esteem perform in this association. METHODS : A quantitative cross-sectional methodology was used in the research, which recruited 367 Saudi undergraduate nursing students. RESULTS : The results of the ANOVA and Welch F-test showed that the level of self-esteem was correlated with emotional intelligence and mental wellbeing scores, but not with motivation scores. Upon conducting structural equation modeling, significant direct effect pathways were identified between emotional intelligence, mental wellbeing, and motivation. Only indirect pathways were identified between self-esteem and motivation. CONCLUSION : This study indicates that mental wellbeing mediates the link between emotional intelligence and motivation to learn, where self-esteem operates as a significant moderator. Thus, safeguarding the wellbeing of the students should be prioritized to enhance their academic journey and educational outcomes. The results of this investigation offer several recommendations for nursing education, highlighting the importance of emotional intelligence in promoting motivation in academic settings and, therefore, academic achievement.en© The Author(s) 2025. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).Emotional intelligenceNursing studentsMental wellbeingMotivationSelf-esteemArticle