ArticleBMC psychology2025
Effects of college students' physical activity on loneliness: a moderated mediation model.
Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundLoneliness is a critical mental health issue among university students, yet the mechanisms linking physical activity (PA) to loneliness remain underexplored. This study examines whether core self-evaluation (CSE) mediates the PA-loneliness relationship, and whether only-child status moderates this pathway.
participantsUsing random cluster sampling from a Chinese university, 558 valid questionnaires were collected.
methodsThis cross-sectional study collected self-reported data on PA levels, loneliness, and CSE among Chinese university students. The data underwent normality tests. Independent samples t-tests were used to examine differences in these variables by sex, grade, and only-child status. Pearson's correlation analyses were employed to assess the relationships among loneliness, PA, and CSE. We used the PROCESS macro for hierarchical regression analysis to test the mediation effect of CSE and the moderation effect of only-child status.
resultsPA was negatively correlated with loneliness (r = -.154, P < .001) and positively with CSE (r = .263, P < .001). CSE fully mediated the PA-loneliness relationship (indirect effect = -0.001, 95% CI [-0.0007, -0.0003]). Only-child status moderated the direct path, the interaction term between PA and only-child status had a significant effect on loneliness (B= -0.0006, P = .016), The model explained 35.5% of the variance in loneliness.
conclusionsCSE serves as a complete mediator between PA and loneliness, and only-child status moderates this association. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring PA-based mental health interventions to students' family backgrounds.
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