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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1471378
This article is part of the Research Topic Physical Activity Applied to Learning and Psycho-social Variables in Young People View all 6 articles

The Impact of Physical Activity on Coping Mechanisms in Adolescents: The Chain Mediating Role of Friendship Quality and Psychological Resilience

Provisionally accepted
Chengjiang Han Chengjiang Han 1Feng Li Feng Li 1*Bizhen Lian Bizhen Lian 1DONGYE LYU DONGYE LYU 2Jin Yan Jin Yan 3*
  • 1 Beijing Sport University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
  • 2 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR China
  • 3 Soochow University, Suzhou, China

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

    The pressures and challenges faced by contemporary adolescents, including academic pressure and social media influences, have led to increased rates of depression. Physical activity (PA) has been shown to impact adolescent mental health positively and provide opportunities for social interaction. This study aims to explore the positive impacts of PA on adolescents, specifically focusing on the mediating roles of friendship quality and psychological resilience. Method: A cross-sectional study in Henan, China, involved 1536 high school students from four private schools. Participants completed questionnaires measuring PA, friendship quality, psychological resilience, and coping styles. The Pearson correlation and linear regression were conducted to explore relationships between variables and the SPSS Hayes PROCESS macro, Model 6, was utilized to examine the proposed chain mediation effects. Results: The study analyzed a sample of 1536 students with an average age of 17.85 years (SD = 1.13). The gender distribution included 1038 males and 498 females. Regression analysis showed that PA significantly predicts friendship quality (β = 0.43, t = 9.57, p < 0.01), psychological resilience (β = 0.46, t = 3.63, p < 0.01), and coping styles (β = 0.23, t = 13.67, p < 0.01). Friendship quality and psychological resilience significantly predict coping styles (β = 0.17, t = 8.53, p < 0.01; β = 0.31, t = 7.95, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis identified three significant pathways: PA to coping styles via friendship quality (effect size = 0.07, 95% CI = [0.01, 0.15]), psychological resilience (effect size = 0.14, 95% CI = [0.07, 0.27]), and both friendship quality and psychological resilience (effect size = 0.05, 95% CI = [0.02, 0.11]). Conclusion: PA plays a vital role in improving adolescents' coping mechanisms, with friendship quality and psychological resilience as essential mediators.Policymakers, educators, and parents should prioritize PA to support holistic adolescent development. Future research could explore additional mediators, such as family support, and employ longitudinal designs to establish causality more robustly.

    Keywords: Mediation analysis, Coping styles, peer relationships, Mental Health, physical activity

    Received: 27 Jul 2024; Accepted: 27 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Han, Li, Lian, LYU and Yan. 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:
    Feng Li, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, 100084, Beijing Municipality, China
    Jin Yan, Soochow University, Suzhou, China

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