Structural Equation Modeling of the Relationships Among Psychological Wellbeing, Perceived Social Support, Help-Seeking Self-Stigma, and Psychological Distress in Help-Seeking Students at Jordanian Universities

The dual continua model holds that psychological wellbeing and distress are related but distinct, yet little is known about the mechanisms that link them among university students who seek counseling. This conceptual replication and extension of Craig et al. (2025) tested whether perceived social support mediates the association between Ryff’s wellbeing dimensions and distress, whether help-seeking self-stigma and university sector moderate this pathway, and whether brief counseling improves both continua. Students attending the counseling centers of seven Jordanian universities (public-sector n = 402, private-sector n = 200; N = 602) completed the Psychological Wellbeing Scales, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale, and the CORE-OM, and a subsample (n = 325) was randomized 2:1 to six counseling sessions or a waitlist. The measurement model fit well and showed scalar invariance across sex and sector. Self-acceptance (β = −.39) and environmental mastery (β = −.15) uniquely predicted lower distress. Perceived support partially mediated the association of self-acceptance with distress (indirect β = −.045, 95% CI [−.079, −.016]) and was protective only below +0.7 SD of self-stigma, although the latent interaction was not significant. The support–distress path was stronger in private than in public universities (β = −.36 vs. −.07). Relative to the waitlist, counseling reduced distress (d = −0.33, 95% CI [−0.51, −0.15]) and increased self-acceptance (d = 0.29); reliable improvement occurred in 48.9% versus 23.3% of students, and the effect weakened as baseline self-stigma rose. Brief counseling improves both continua of mental health, but self-stigma limits its benefit.