AUTHOR=Wu Kai , Wang Shengnan , Ding Tengyun , Li Yongxin 

TITLE=The direct effect of exercise on the mental health of scientific and technological professionals and the mediating effects of stress, resilience, and social support

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1074418

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1074418

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: High working pressure is one of the main causes of occupational sub-health problems in scientific and technological professionals. With the development of exercise psychology, an increasing number of scholars have begun to focus on the influence of exercise on mental health. Exercise is not only beneficial to physical health but can also improve mental health. However, most studies tend to focus on students, and a limited number of scholars have investigated the effects of exercise on mental health and related mechanisms among scientific and technological professionals. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between exercise and the mental health of scientific and technological professionals and the mediating roles of stress, resilience, and social support.
Methods: Participants were randomly recruited, and questionnaires were distributed through “www.wjx.cn” in Henan province from November to December 2021. Participants were asked to complete the Positive Mental Health Scale, the stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (21 items), the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Perceived Social Support Scale. A total of 1248 valid responses were obtained.
Results: The average exercise time of males was longer than that of females (t = 3.65, p < 0.01). Exercise and mental health were significantly associated with differences in age  (F = -8.57, F = -4.66, p < 0.01) and educational background (F = 12.86, F = 7.14, p < 0.01). There were significant correlations among exercise, mental health, stress, resilience, and social support (p < 0.01). The direct effects of exercise on mental health were significant (β = 0.271, t = 9.577, p < 0.001), and the mediating effects of stress, resilience, and social support were also significant (χ2/df = 4.72, CFI = 0.940, TLI = 0.935, SRMR = 0.048, RMSEA = 0.055).
Conclusion: Future research should include a wider range of participants and adopt a longitudinal follow-up design to more deeply investigate the relationship between exercise and the mental health of scientific and technological professionals.