While workplace civility is a known determinant of job satisfaction, the internal psychological resources that modulate this relationship remain under-explored. This study examines the predictive power of emotional intelligence (EI) and its role as a moderator in the relationship between perceived workplace civility and job satisfaction among nurse educators. this study aimed to examine the associations between emotional intelligence (EI), workplace civility, and job satisfaction (JS) among nurse educators, specifically exploring how EI relates to the link between environmental and personal resources. A cross-sectional design was employed, surveying 257 nurse educators across multiple Saudi Arabian universities. Validated psychometric instruments were utilized to measure EI, civility, and job satisfaction, with data analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The moderating effect of emotional intelligence was analyzed using a two-stage interaction modeling approach to ensure robust estimation of the interaction term. Data were collected online via Google Forms from August 1 to September 30, 2025. Participants reported high levels of job satisfaction and moderate levels of workplace civility. Emotional Intelligence (EI) emerged as the strongest direct predictor of job satisfaction, while workplace civility also significantly and positively predicted satisfaction. Most importantly, EI was found to significantly moderate the relationship between civility and job satisfaction. The EI and workplace civility are critical, synergistic predictors of job satisfaction among nurse educators. To effectively maximize faculty retention and satisfaction, nursing administrators must implement a dual-focus strategy that simultaneously cultivates individual emotional competencies and enforces a consistent culture of workplace civility.

Introduction: This study explores how students develop, negotiate and represent their mental health alongside their professional identities. The aim is to understand how nursing students construct and negotiate their mental health identities in academic and clinical environments. Method: Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this qualitative research employed nine nursing students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programme at King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Arabic, the participants’ native language, and professionally translated to English for analysis. Interviews were analyzed using a six-stage IPA protocol and an integrated coding framework operationalizing concept from Social Identity Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, and Identity Negotiation Theory. Results: The data led to five themes: (1) Navigating the Stigma Boundary: The ‘tough nurse’ imperative, strategic silence or selective disclosure as identity management. (2) Developing the ‘Mental Health’ Label: Repertoires and levels of surveillance/monitoring. (3) The Clinical–Classroom Divide: Contexts affecting identity performance and role transitions. (4) Help-Seeking as Identity Betrayal: The cost to identity of seeking formal help and preference for informal support. (5) Reconciling Personal and Professional Identities: Future self-prototype construction, divergent personal–professional developments, and post-trauma story-telling. Conclusion: Nursing students’ mental health identities are socially constructed and strategically negotiated across contexts. This multi-theoretical model advances understanding beyond deficit-oriented frameworks, showing that help-seeking is limited by identity barriers.