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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1546002
This article is part of the Research Topic Physical Activity Applied to Learning and Psycho-social Variables in Young People View all 7 articles

Investigation of the relationship between mental health and physical activity among university students

Provisionally accepted
Mohammad Ahsan Mohammad Ahsan *Turki Abualait Turki Abualait
  • Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

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

    Background: Physical activity refers to all bodily movement performed by an individual from morning to night. Physical activity benefits not only physical health but also mental health. Physical activity benefits university students in many ways.Aims: This study aimed to determine the effects of physical activity on university students' mental health.A cross-sectional study design was conducted with two hundred sixty-five university students. Physical activity level was determined by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and mental health among university students was determined using the mental health inventory. Data was collected by online mode. For statistical analysis, the Pearson correlation coefficient test was used, while analysis of variance was used to determine the difference between participants as per their physical activity levels classification. Statistically significant was observed at 0.05 level.The results showed that a statistically positive significant relationship existed between physical activity and mental health (r=.343, p=<.001) and its parameters: anxiety (r=.542, p=<.001), depression (r=.691, p=<.001), positive effects (r=.476, p=<.001), behavioral control (r=.174, p=.004). While comparing the difference between participants as par physical activity level classification, significant differences existed for anxiety (F=2.96, p=.052), depression (F=4.23, p=.041), positive effects (F=3.22, p=.048), behavioral control (F=3.14, p=.058), and mental health (F=4.65, p=.044).The findings suggest that interventions promoting physical activity can serve as effective strategies for mental health promotion in academic settings. Universities should consider integrating structured physical activity programs into their curricula and campus life to leverage these mental health benefits.

    Keywords: stress, Depression, Anxiety, Mental Health, Exercise, Students

    Received: 17 Dec 2024; Accepted: 23 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ahsan and Abualait. 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: Mohammad Ahsan, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    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.