Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity and mental health of Chinese high school students and its mediating mechanism. It aimed to provide relevant empirical evidence for improving the mental health of this group. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 2,345 high school students in Jiangsu, China, was conducted using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short-Chinese Version, Mental Health Scale for Secondary School Students and School Adaptation Scale for High School Students. After screening and elimination, 2,090 valid data were obtained (51.39% boys, age: 16.45±0.71 years). Non-parametric tests corresponding to the independent samples t-test (Mann–Whitney U test) and Bootstrap method were used for this study. Result: The results showed that: (1) Gender differences in physical activity, mental health, and school adaptation of Chinese high school students were significant (Cohen’s d = 0.410, -0.103, 0.245), (2) Physical activity directly predicted mental health but also indirectly affected mental health through the mediating effects of school adaptation. Therefore, the results of this study suggested that school adaptation partially mediated the relationship between physical activity and mental health of Chinese high school students. Conclusion: The results suggest that physical activity of high school students could positively predict their mental health and contribute to their mental health through the mediating role of school adaptation. The results revealed the effects and mechanisms of physical activity on mental health of high school students and provided new inspiration and ideas for the pathway of physical activity promoting the mental health level of Chinese high school students.
Published Version
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