ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1586099
This article is part of the Research TopicPsychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport - Volume VIView all 36 articles
Perceived Social Support and Chinese University Students' Intentions to Participate in Non-Traditional Sports: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model
Provisionally accepted
- 1Sichuan Tourism University, Chengdu, China
- 2Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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Abstract Aim: This study investigates how perceived social support influences Chinese university students' willingness to participate in non-traditional sports, focusing on the chain mediating roles of psychological resilience and self-efficacy, and the moderating effect of Collectivistic orientation. Methods: An online survey collected 540 valid responses from Chinese university students. The survey measured perceived social support from family, friends, and significant others; psychological resilience; self-efficacy; and participation intention in non-traditional sports. Main effects and mediation effects were tested using SPSS Process model 6, while moderation effects were examined using Process model 83. Results: This study revealed that perceived social support positively influences Chinese students' participation intention in non-traditional sports. Both psychological resilience and self-efficacy partially mediate this relationship, with evidence supporting a sequential mediation pathway. Moreover, the positive effect of perceived social support on psychological resilience is significantly stronger among individuals with a collectivistic orientation, confirming the moderating role. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that perceived social support significantly enhances participation intention in non-traditional sports among Chinese university students. The chain mediating roles of psychological resilience and self-efficacy, coupled with the moderating influence of cultural orientation, provide valuable insights for promoting non-traditional sports by addressing both psychological and cultural factors.
Keywords: perceived social support, psychological resilience, self-efficacy, Non-TraditionalSports, Collectivistic orientation
Received: 02 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Wang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yongtao Zhang, 294026440@qq.com
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