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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1431255
This article is part of the Research Topic Youth Mental Health, Particularly in Asian Populations View all 27 articles

The Key to Life Satisfaction in Emerging Adults: Unlocking the Secrets of Self-Efficacy and Physical Activity

Provisionally accepted
Lin Luo Lin Luo *
  • School of Physical Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, China

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

    Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationships among characteristics of emerging adulthood, self-efficacy, and physical activity behaviors, and how these factors collectively influence the life satisfaction of college students. By delving into the interconnections between these elements, insights for relevant interventions and policy formulation can be provided.Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted from November to December 2022, a total of 3,387 Chinese college students were surveyed via the Maike electronic questionnaire platform. The Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE-8), Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), and a single-item life satisfaction question were utilized for assessments.Data analysis was performed using the Bollen-Stine bootstrap method, with the aid of Amos software (version 26.0) and IBM SPSS (version 26.0).Results: Instability, possibility, and self-exploration were significantly associated with self-efficacy, which in turn influenced life satisfaction. Factors such as possibility and instability were related to physical activity behaviors, further predicting life satisfaction. Characteristics of emerging adulthood indirectly affected life satisfaction through self-efficacy and physical activity behaviors.Conclusion: Characteristics of emerging adulthood enhance life satisfaction by bolstering self-efficacy and promoting physical activity behaviors.

    Keywords: emerging adulthood, life satisfaction, self-efficacy, physical activity, college students

    Received: 11 May 2024; Accepted: 28 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Luo. 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: Lin Luo, School of Physical Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 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.