ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1695555
This article is part of the Research TopicPsychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport - Volume VIView all 39 articles
The Impact of Physical Activity on Social Support among Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Physical Self-Esteem and the Moderating Effect of Gender
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Marine Biology, College of Ocean Sciences and Technology, Kunsan National University, Kunsan, Republic of Korea
- 2Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- 3Hengshui University, Hengshui, China
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Objective This study aimed to examine the mechanisms through which physical activity influences social support among Chinese college students by constructing a moderated mediation model, with physical self-esteem as a mediator and gender as a moderator. Methods A total of 667 undergraduates and postgraduates (327 males, 340 females) from a comprehensive university in Jiangsu Province were recruited using cluster convenience sampling. Physical activity (PARS-3), physical self-esteem (College Students' Physical Self-Esteem Scale), and social support (Adolescent Social Support Rating Scale) were measured via structured questionnaires. Multi-level statistical analyses were conducted using the SPSS PROCESS macro to test mediation and moderated mediation effects. Results (1) Physical activity significantly and positively predicted social support (β = 0.06, p < 0.001); (2) Physical self-esteem partially mediated this relationship, with an indirect effect of 0.02, accounting for 33.33% of the total effect; (3) Gender significantly moderated the pathway between physical activity and social support. Among females, the effect was significantly positive (β = 0.12, p < 0.001), whereas among males, the effect was negative (β = –0.05, p < 0.001). Conclusion These findings demonstrate that physical activity enhances social support both directly and indirectly through increased physical self-esteem, while gender differences shape the strength and direction of this relationship. Specifically, physical activity benefits female students' social support but may reduce that of male students, possibly due to the competitive orientation of their sports participation. The study extends social integration and self-perception theories and highlights the importance of gender-sensitive interventions in university-based physical activity and mental health programs.
Keywords: physical activity, social support, Physical self-esteem, Gender moderation, college students, mediation effect, moderated mediation model
Received: 30 Aug 2025; Accepted: 22 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Wei, Cai and Hui. 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:
Jingyi Wang, jingyiwang_edu_knu@yeah.net
Jiang Hui, jianghui_sd_edu@126.com
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