The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and Subjective Well-Being Among University Students: The Chain Mediation Role of Self-Identity and Self-Esteem

Lihua Yao¹Kelei Guo^2*Feng Guo³DONG LI^2*Yanying Liu²Jun Xiang²

• ¹School of Physical Education, Shangqiu Normal University, shangqiu, China
• ²School of Physical Education and Health, Zhaoqing University, zhaoqing, China
• ³School of Physical Education, Guang Dong Technology College, zhaoqing, China

Objective: Subjective well-being, a fundamental concept in positive psychology, encompasses an individual's evaluation of their life satisfaction and the balance between positive and negative emotions, thus reflecting personal perceptions and thoughts about life. This research delves into the interplay between physical exercise and subjective well-being among university students, particularly emphasizing the mediating roles of self-identity and self-esteem. The study investigates the correlation between physical exercise and subjective well-being, further exploring how physical exercise affects self-identity and subsequently impacts subjective well-being. It also examines how self-identity influences self-esteem and the mediation role of self-esteem between self-identity and subjective well-being. Ultimately, this research constructs a chained mediation model that includes physical exercise, self-identity, self-esteem, and subjective well-being to thoroughly elucidate their interactions and bases its findings to propose targeted exercise strategies for enhancing subjective well-being through university physical education programs and personal exercise regimens.Methods: Utilizing physical exercise scales, self-identity scales, self-esteem scales, and subjective well-being questionnaires, the study conducted a survey among 913 university students. Data analysis proceeded via Pearson correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and bias-corrected percentile bootstrap methods.Results: Physical exercise was found to positively correlate with subjective well-being (r = 0.49), with significant direct pathways from physical exercise to subjective well-being (β=0.43, p < 0.01, CI[0.36, 0.50]). Physical exercise was also positively related to self-identity (β = 0.37, p < 0.01, CI[0.30, 0.44]) and self-esteem (β = 0.36, p < 0.01, CI[0.30, 0.43]), with self-identity positively influencing self-esteem (β= 0.31, p < 0.01, CI[0.23, 0.39]) and both positively impacting subjective well-being (self-identity: β = 0.17, p < 0.01, CI[0.11, 0.23]; self-esteem: β= 0.18, p < 0.01, CI[0.11, 0.25]). Furthermore, self-identity and self-esteem significantly mediated the relationship between physical exercise and subjective well-being through multiple pathways.The findings highlight a significant positive correlation between physical exercise and subjective well-being. Both self-identity and self-esteem serve as independent and sequential mediators in this relationship, underlining the complex interdependencies in the chain mediation model.