ArticleBMC public health2025
The mediating effect of self-efficacy and physical activity with the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between negative body image and depression among Chinese college students: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessment of the relationship between awareness of popular diets and body image among young women: a cross-sectional study.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- Different Dimensions of Social Support on Social Media and Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intentions Among Chinese College Students Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Sex differences in physical activity, psychosocial determinants, and symptom outcomes in knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional analysis of a Hispanic/Latino-predominant cohort.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- The impact of physical activity on social-emotional competence among female graduate students: a three-wave longitudinal study in Chinese Universities.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Redefining Beauty: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours Toward Aesthetic Medicine and Cosmetic Surgery in Urban Adults.Clinics and practice · 2026Article
- Supervisor-student relationship and anxiety among graduate students: a moderated mediation model.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The Impact of Physical Exercise on Depression in College Students: The Chain Mediation Effect of Psychological Resilience and Sleep Problems.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The longitudinal relationship between helicopter parenting and depressive symptoms among university students: the serial mediating roles of exercise behavior and physical self-esteem.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Heterogeneity among exercise participants: latent profile analysis and differential persistence pathways based on the pressure-support-motivation (PSM) framework.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Divergent pathways from body image to disordered eating and physical activity: differential roles of thin-ideal and muscular-ideal internalization among Chinese female college students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Psychosocial transformation in women new to fitness: a phenomenological study on body image, self-confidence, and identity construction.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Move more, scroll less? Physical activity, smartphone use, and subjective body shape perception in adolescents: within-person associations in gender-stratified analyses.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Study on the impact of multiple factors on 4-year physical fitness test results of undergraduate students at a Chinese comprehensive university: based on the mediating role of exercise habits.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Social media social comparison orientation and physical self-efficacy among Chinese college students: sequential mediation via body shame and body appreciation.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- An Update on the Effect of Physical Exercise on Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Review
- Article
- Age Differences in the Relationship Between Outdoor Physical Activity and School Emotional Well-Being in Pre-Adolescents: A Stratified Correlation Analysis.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Body image and loneliness as mediators of the relationship between physical activity and exercise self-efficacy in college students.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function in the elderly: the mediating effect of social isolation.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- The relationship between depression and academic burnout among undergraduate students majoring in eldercare services: a moderated mediation model.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFitness to maintain an ideal body shape is becoming increasingly popular among college students. However, it also leads to many mental health issues. This study explores the pathways through which negative body image affects depression in college students. It also examines possible means of implementing depression interventions in college populations through the mediating roles of self-efficacy and physical activity, and the moderating role of social support.
methodThe present study employed a convenience sampling method to collect data from 600 university students using the Body Image Scale, Self-Efficacy Scale, Physical Activity Scale, General Social Support Scale and Depression Self-Rating Scale. Data analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS, M-plus and R software.
resultThe result indicate that negative body image is positively correlated with depression. Self-efficacy and physical exercise play a chain mediating role between body image and depression. Additionally, social support moderates the effects of self-efficacy by predicting the pathway through which physical activity effects depression.
conclusionThe study suggest that individuals with a negative body image are more prone to depression and that physical exercise can help alleviate their depressive symptoms. Self-efficacy is an important mediator, and social support moderates adherence to physical exercise. Therefore, attention should be paid to the mental health issues of college students with negative body images.
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