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. 2024 Mar 6;14(1):5488.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56149-4.

The association between physical activity, self-efficacy, stress self-management and mental health among adolescents

Ge Zhang  1 , Wanxuan Feng  1 , Liangyu Zhao  1 , Xiuhan Zhao  1 , Tuojian Li  2
Affiliations

The association between physical activity, self-efficacy, stress self-management and mental health among adolescents

Ge Zhang et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the interplay between physical activity, self-efficacy, stress self-management and mental health among adolescents. The study gathered data from an online survey conducted among 400 Chinese middle school students (mean age = 13.74 years). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 27.0 and PROCESS 4.1. The findings indicated a positive and significant relationship between physical activity, self-efficacy, stress self-management, and mental health. Notably, the association between physical activity and mental health was entirely mediated by self-efficacy and stress self-management. Moreover, self-efficacy and stress self-management exhibited a chain mediation effect on the relationship between physical activity and mental health. It is suggested that interventions focusing on physical activity should prioritize strategies for enhancing students' self-efficacy and stress self-management skills as integral components of promoting adolescents' mental health. Future research should delve into identifying specific types of physical activities that have a greater potential to enhance self-efficacy and stress self-management abilities.

Keywords: General self-efficacy; Mental health; Physical activity; Physical education; Stress self-management.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesis model.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of the chain-mediating model of self-efficacy and stress self-management on physical activity and mental health. ***p＜0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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