ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1609415
This article is part of the Research TopicPsychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport - Volume VIView all 9 articles
The impact of physical exercise on mental health and the relationship among physical exercise, emotional regulation and suicidal ideation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Nanjing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
- 2Department of Emergency Medicine, ShengJing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
- 3First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
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Background: This study aims to investigate the mediating role of emotional regulation in the relationship between physical exercise and suicidal ideation among Chinese medical students. The study specifically examined how exercise-induced enhancement of emotional regulatory capacity may mitigate suicide risk through neurobiological and psychological pathways.A cross-sectional study assessed 852 medical students using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3) to categorize exercise intensity (low: 51.9%; moderate: 25.9%; high: 22.2%). Suicidal ideation was measured with the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Scale (PANSI), emotional regulation capacity with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and psychological symptoms with the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). Independent t-tests, ANOVA tests, and mediation modeling were used for analysis.The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 8.10% (69/852), consistent with national epidemiological data. Males exhibited significantly lower depression (Δ=-1.24, P<.05) and anxiety (Δ=-.87, P<.05) scores than females. Students engaging in high/moderate-intensity exercise demonstrated lower rates of depression and psychosis compared to low-intensity exercisers (P<.05). Emotional regulation mediated 38.1% of the protective effect of exercise against suicidal ideation (P<.01), aligning with established neurobiological pathways linking physical activity to mood regulation.The physical exercise habits of medical students are intricately linked to their mental and emotional well-being. It is recommended that medical institutions intensify efforts to promote physical exercise and encourage greater participation among medical students. This proactive approach can contribute to reducing suicidal ideation among medical students and enhancing their overall mental health.
Keywords: physical exercise, Medical students, Mental Health, Medical Education, suicide ideation
Received: 10 Apr 2025; Accepted: 16 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Yao 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: Yiqi Zhang, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
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