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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1448827

Does Exercise Adherence During the COVID-19 Pandemic Contribute to Improved Subjective Well-Being? A cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Yonghuan Chen Yonghuan Chen 1,2Ning Fang Ning Fang 2*Yulong Zhu Yulong Zhu 2*Zhenyu Li Zhenyu Li 2*Qiuhan Zhu Qiuhan Zhu 2*
  • 1 Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: This study aims to investigate whether exercise adherence and positive mental character significantly affect subjective well-being among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether positive mental character plays a mediating role. Methods: The study employed questionnaires, including the Exercise Adherence Scale, the Positive Mental Character Scale, and the Subjective Well-Being Scale, which were administered to students across seven universities in Henan Province, China. A total of 1001 participants were analyzed in the final sample. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 for descriptive statistics, independent samples T-test, correlation, and regression analyses. Furthermore, structural equation model with AMOS was conducted to examine the potential mediating effect of positive mental characteristics on the relationship between exercise adherence and subjective well-being. Results: The results indicated significant differences in exercise adherence, positive mental character, and subjective well-being between male and female participants, with males scoring higher in all three domains. Among Chinese university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant correlation among exercise adherence, positive mental character, and subjective well-being. Exercise adherence was found to have a significant and positive impact on both positive mental character and subjective well-being. Additionally, it was found that positive mental character had a significant positive association with subjective well-being. The mediating role of positive mental character in the relationship between exercise adherence and subjective well-being was partially supported. Discussion: Exercise adherence among Chinese college students had a significant positive association on both positive mental character and subjective well-being throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The exercise adherence can directly or indirectly enhance subjective well-being through its association with positive mental character. Therefore, positive mental and subjective well-being can be enhanced by consistent physical activity even during a pandemic.

    Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, exercise adherence, positive mental character, Subjective well-being, indirect effect

    Received: 14 Jun 2024; Accepted: 22 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Fang, Zhu, Li and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ning Fang, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, China
    Yulong Zhu, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, China
    Zhenyu Li, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, China
    Qiuhan Zhu, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.