ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicPsychological Factors in Physical Education and Sport - Volume VIIView all articles
The Bidirectional Relationship Between Physical Exercise and Social Self-Efficacy: A Cross-Lagged Model Analysis of the Mediating Role of Peer Acceptance
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
- 2Jinzhong College of Information, Jinzhong, China
- 3Taizhou University, Taizhou Jiangsu, China
- 4Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- 5Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Objective: Social self-efficacy is a crucial indicator of college students' mental health, yet the underlying mechanisms of how physical exercise influences it require deeper exploration. This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical exercise and social self-efficacy among college students through a longitudinal design and test the mediating role of peer acceptance. Methods: A three-wave longitudinal tracking design was employed with 758 undergraduate students from Zhengzhou University, with surveys conducted at 3-month intervals. Data were collected using the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Social Self-Efficacy Scale, and Peer Acceptance Scale. Cross-lagged models and Bootstrap methods were used for statistical analysis. Results: ①Significant bidirectional longitudinal predictive relationships existed between physical exercise and social self-efficacy (β=0.19-0.24, p<0.01; β=0.13-0.16, p<0.01); ②Peer acceptance played a significant longitudinal mediating role in their relationship, with T1 physical exercise predicting T3 social self-efficacy through T2 peer acceptance (β=0.071, 95%CI=[0.038,0.108]), and T1 social self-efficacy predicting T3 physical exercise through T2 peer acceptance (β=0.053, 95%CI=[0.025,0.084]). Conclusion: Physical exercise and social self-efficacy form a mutually reinforcing dynamic cycle, with peer acceptance serving as a key mediating mechanism. This study provides scientific evidence for enhancing college students' social adaptation through creating positive peer environments.
Keywords: physical exercise, Social self-efficacy, Peer acceptance, Longitudinal mediation, college students
Received: 11 Sep 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Li, Zi, Yang and Li. 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: Ying Zi, yzhank@tzc.edu.cn
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