ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2025
The impact of physical exercise on adolescent social anxiety: the serial mediating effects of sports self-efficacy and expressive suppression.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- The relationship of physical exercise and social adaptability of adolescents.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Adolescent Sports Learning Interest and Subjective Well-Being: The Chain Mediating Role of Social Anxiety and Sleep Quality.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Modelling the effect of motivation on mental health components with fuzzy logic among elite athletes.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The impact of social support on exercise persistence in adolescents: the mediating effect of exercise self-efficacy and autonomic motivation.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The impact of school sports atmosphere on college students' social anxiety: the mediating role of exercise self-efficacy and the moderating effect of gender.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The impact of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal skills: the chain mediation effect of social anxiety and peer relationships.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Exercise as an adjunct intervention for social anxiety disorder: a mini-review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- The effect of physical exercise on social appearance anxiety among college students: the serial mediating role of social media addiction and self-objectification.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Relationship among physical activity, social anxiety, and autistic traits in female college students: a variable-and person-centered analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Emotional intelligence mediates the relationship between sport type and social anxiety in adolescents.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Within-person reciprocal associations among physical activity, loneliness, and social anxiety in adolescence.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Can middle school students counteract academic burnout through physical exercise? A cross-sectional study from China.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Can physical exercise alleviate social anxiety in junior high school students by improving body image?Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Exercise adherence and subjective well-being: the chain mediating roles of self-efficacy and outcome expectations.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Green exercise and kinesiophobia among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of self-efficacy.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Physical activity and adolescent anxiety trajectories: a longitudinal analysis of exercise self-efficacy and body image.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Effects of physical exercise on negative emotions in adolescents: Sequential mediation through psychological benefits and social self-efficacy.Preventive medicine reports · 2025Article
- Social Challenges on University Campuses: How Does Physical Activity Affect Social Anxiety? The Dual Roles of Loneliness and Gender.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Physical activity and mobile phone addiction among Chinese college students: a chain mediation model of social anxiety and loneliness.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- More active, less aggressive! Understanding how physical activity reduces aggressive behavior among Chinese adolescents: a three-wave mediation model.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aims to investigate the impact of physical exercise on adolescent social anxiety and to elucidate the serial mediating roles of sports self-efficacy and expressive suppression within this context.
methodsUtilizing a convenience random cluster sampling technique, this study surveyed 2500 primary and secondary school students across Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, Henan, and Jiangxi provinces. The survey utilized validated scales to assess physical exercise, sports self-efficacy, expressive suppression, and social anxiety among adolescents.
resultsThe study revealed that: (1) Physical exercise has a significant negative correlation with social anxiety (r = -0.32, p < 0.01); (2) Sports self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety, with an indirect effect of -0.15 (95% CI [-0.22, -0.09]); (3) Expressive suppression significantly mediated the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety, with an indirect effect of -0.11 (95% CI [-0.17, -0.06]); (4) Sports self-efficacy and expressive suppression exerted a significant serial mediating effect on the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety, with an indirect effect of -0.05 (95% CI [-0.08, -0.02]).
conclusionPhysical exercise not only directly alleviates social anxiety in adolescents but also indirectly diminishes social anxiety through the enhancement of sports self-efficacy and the reduction of expressive suppression.
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