This study aims to investigate the impact of physical exercise on adolescent social anxiety and to elucidate the serial mediating roles of sports self-efficacy and expressive suppression within this context. Utilizing a convenience random cluster sampling technique, this study surveyed 2500 primary and secondary school students across Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, Henan, and Jiangxi provinces. The survey utilized validated scales to assess physical exercise, sports self-efficacy, expressive suppression, and social anxiety among adolescents. The study revealed that: (1) Physical exercise has a significant negative correlation with social anxiety (r = -0.32, p < 0.01); (2) Sports self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety, with an indirect effect of -0.15 (95% CI [-0.22, -0.09]); (3) Expressive suppression significantly mediated the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety, with an indirect effect of -0.11 (95% CI [-0.17, -0.06]); (4) Sports self-efficacy and expressive suppression exerted a significant serial mediating effect on the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety, with an indirect effect of -0.05 (95% CI [-0.08, -0.02]). Physical exercise not only directly alleviates social anxiety in adolescents but also indirectly diminishes social anxiety through the enhancement of sports self-efficacy and the reduction of expressive suppression.

Background: This study explored the impact of physical exercise on internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors among Chinese middle school students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 6368 middle school students from Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, Henan, and Jiangxi provinces, using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Achenbach Youth Self-Report (YSR), and Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scales (DASS). Latent class analysis, multiple linear regression, and Kendall’s tau coefficient tests were employed to analyze the data. Results: Physical exercise significantly reduced externalizing problem behaviors, including impulsivity (β = 0.188, p < 0.001), hostility (β = 0.129, p < 0.001), and aggressiveness (β = 0.158, p < 0.001), and also alleviated depression (β = 0.087, p < 0.01). Latent class analysis revealed that students with high levels of exercise had significantly fewer externalizing behaviors compared to low-level exercisers (p < 0.001). High-intensity exercise had greater effects, particularly on impulsivity and hostility. Rural male students exhibited higher levels of aggressiveness and hostility, while urban female students benefited more from exercise interventions. Conclusion: Physical exercise has a significant positive impact on reducing externalizing problem behaviors, especially impulsivity, hostility, and aggressiveness, among middle school students. However, its effects on internalizing behaviors are relatively limited. Intervention strategies should consider individual characteristics such as gender and location to maximize effectiveness.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the dynamic relationships between physical exercise (PE), body image (BI), and social anxiety (SA) among Chinese junior high school students, as well as to analyze the mechanism through which PE may alleviate SA by improving BI. Methods: A total of 851 students (652 males, 391 females) from grades 7 and 8 across five secondary schools in Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Guangdong provinces were selected for this 12-month longitudinal study. Four waves of data were collected using validated questionnaires measuring PE, BI, and SA. The data were analyzed using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). Results: The study revealed the following findings: (1) PE showed significant positive correlations with BI at all four time points ( r = 0.308 to 0.463, p < 0.001) and significant negative correlations with SA ( r = −0.142 to −0.301, p < 0.001); (2) BI was also significantly negatively correlated with SA ( r = −0.138 to −0.313, p < 0.001); (3) PE significantly reduced subsequent SA levels by improving BI. The total effect of the pathway PE(T1) → BI(T2) → SA(T3) was −0.301, with a mediation effect of −0.125 (accounting for 41.53% of the total effect). Conclusion: This study elucidates the mediating mechanism through which PE alleviates SA by enhancing BI, providing scientific evidence for adolescent mental health interventions. Schools are advised to incorporate strategies in physical education curricula and activities that foster positive BI and social adaptation skills to promote psychological well-being.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived social support, self-esteem, and cyberbullying among rural left-behind adolescents. A cross-lagged analysis was conducted with a sample of 981 rural left-behind adolescents Jiangsu province and Sichuan province, who completed a questionnaire twice at 3-month intervals. The results indicated that: (1) Perceived social support at Time 1 positively and significantly predicted self-esteem at Time 2, while negatively and significantly predicting cyberbullying at Time 2; (2) Self-esteem at Time 1 did not significantly predict perceived social support and cyberbullying at Time 2; (3) Cyberbullying at Time 1 did not significantly and negatively predicted perceived social support at Time 2, and while negatively and significantly predicting self-esteem at Time 2; (4) Self-esteem plays a partial mediating role between perceived social support and cyberbullying. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms underlying the association between perceived social support and cyberbullying behaviors among rural adolescents, and also holds practical significance for intervention and prevention activities.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the impact of physical exercise on the prevalence of mobile phone dependency among middle school students, as well as to delineate the serial mediating roles of self-esteem and depression within this relationship.Methods: A convenient cluster random sampling method was employed to conduct a questionnaire survey among 3,786 middle school students from Guangdong, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Henan, and other provinces. Measurements were taken using the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), the Self-esteem Scale, the Depression Scale, and the Mobile Phone Dependency Scale.Results: Physical exercise was significantly negatively correlated with mobile phone dependency (r = −0.400, p < 0.001) and depression (r = −0.400, p < 0.001), and positively correlated with self-esteem (r = 0.257, p < 0.001). Mobile phone dependency was significantly positively correlated with depression (r = 0.540, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with self-esteem (r = −0.129, p < 0.001). Depression was negatively correlated with self-esteem (r = −0.396, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed that self-esteem and depression significantly mediated the relationship between physical exercise and mobile phone dependency, with a total indirect effect of −0.116 (95% CI = [−0.239, −0.140]), accounting for 100% of the total effect. Specifically, the indirect effect through “physical exercise influencing depression, which then affects mobile phone dependency” was −0.076 (95% CI = [−0.224, −0.128]), accounting for 65.52% of the total effect; the indirect effect through “physical exercise influencing self-esteem, which then influences depression, and in turn affects mobile phone dependency” was −0.040 (95% CI = [−0.063, −0.027]), accounting for 34.48%; the indirect effect through “physical exercise influencing self-esteem, which then affects mobile phone dependency” was not significant (95% CI included 0).Conclusion: Physical exercise can directly reduce the dependency of middle school students on mobile phones, and it can also indirectly reduce mobile phone dependency by enhancing self-esteem and reducing levels of depression.

Despite harsh parenting has been found to increase the risk of developing cyberbullying, there is still a gap in understanding the complex interplay betwee