Psychometric validation of the responsibility scale and the mediating role of psychological distress in the association between personal responsibility and wellbeing in arab adults

Responsibility plays a significant role in fostering mental health and wellbeing, encompassing personal accountability and societal contributions. This study aimed to validate the Responsibility Scale (RS), a psychometric tool designed to measure personal and social responsibility, using rigorous statistical methods. Participants included 256 adults (80.86% female) from diverse educational backgrounds, recruited through a convenience sampling method. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure, comprising personal and social dimensions, with acceptable model fit indices (CFI = .96, TLI = .94, RMSEA = .080). Both factors demonstrated strong loadings (≥ 0.50) and robust internal reliability (personal responsibility subscale α = .92; social responsibility subscale α = .94). Convergent validity was supported by significant positive correlations of personal responsibility with life satisfaction, resilience, religious coping, self-esteem, and grit, whereas social responsibility showed weaker but significant associations with life satisfaction, self-esteem, and grit. Discriminant validity was evidenced by negative correlations of personal responsibility with psychological distress, whereas the association between social responsibility and distress was non-significant. Measurement invariance testing confirmed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender. Analyses further indicated that psychological distress carried an indirect effect of responsibility on wellbeing. Personal and social responsibility were positively associated with life satisfaction (β = .57) and negatively associated with psychological distress (β = − .47), suggesting that part of the effect of responsibility on wellbeing operates through reduced psychological distress. These findings position the RS as a reliable and valid tool for assessing responsibility across cultural contexts, with particular relevance to Libyan Arab populations. The study underscores the importance of responsibility for flourishing and offers new insights for both research and interventions.