ArticlePloS one2026
How exercise adherence affects emotion regulation in Chinese college students: The chain mediating effect of sleep quality and self-efficacy.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The impact of negative life events on internalizing problems in adolescents: the chain mediating effects of physical activity and emotional competence.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Integrated physical education course experience and exercise adherence tendency among undergraduates in Sichuan Province, China: chain mediation and configurational evidence from SEM and fsQCA.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The impact of cumulative ecological risk on exercise procrastination among college students: the mediating role of negative self-schema and the moderating role of self-compassion.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveThis study investigated the mechanism through which exercise adherence enhances emotional regulation ability in college students, focusing on the chain mediating pathway involving sleep quality and self-efficacy. It provides a theoretical foundation for exercise-based interventions to promote psychological health in this population.
methodsA cross-sectional design was employed, with 8,899 chinese college students from Henan Province selected via stratified cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Exercise Adherence Scale (EAS), Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Statistical analyses were conducted using EXCEL, Mplus 8.3, and SPSS 27.0.1.
resultsExercise adherence exerted a significant direct positive effect on emotional regulation (β = 0.289,56.67% of the total effect). Significant independent mediating effects were observed for sleep quality (β = 0.010,6.33%) and self-efficacy(β = 0.200,89.59%). Crucially, a chain mediation pathway was identified: exercise adherence improved sleep quality, which subsequently enhanced self-efficacy, ultimately strengthening emotional regulation ability(β = 0.010,4.52%).
conclusionExercise adherence directly enhances emotional regulation and indirectly influences it through the "sleep quality → self-efficacy" chain pathway. These findings reveal a synergistic multi-path mechanism and provide empirical support for designing targeted exercise-based mental health interventions.
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