ArticleFrontiers in psychology2025
The relationship between physical activity and mental toughness among Chinese university students: the chain-mediated role of self-esteem and social support.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effect of exercise interventions on enhancing psychological resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The mediating effect of social adaptation and the moderating effect of prosocial behavior on the relationship between physical activity and psychological capital.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Psychological Resilience Among Chinese Adolescents in Post-Pandemic Online Learning Contexts: The Mediating Role of Loneliness.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
Background: As Chinese university students increasingly face psychological challenges such as academic pressure and employment-related stress, mental toughness has gained attention as a crucial trait for coping with adversity. Physical activity has been considered a potential way to enhance mental toughness, yet its underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations between physical activity and mental toughness among university students, and to explore the potential mediating roles of self-esteem and social support. Methods: This study used the Physical Activity Scale, the Self-Esteem Scale, the Social Support Scale, and the Mental Toughness Scale with 1,184 university students in Guangdong Province as the research subjects. Data were analyzed sequentially using Pearson correlation analysis, structural equation modeling test and bias-corrected percentile bootstrap. Results: (1) Physical activity was positively correlated with mental toughness ( Conclusion: The findings suggest that physical activity is positively associated with mental toughness among university students, and this relationship is partially mediated by self-esteem and social support. Given the cross-sectional nature of the study, conclusions about causality cannot be drawn.
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