Wang Yiqing, Wang Yue, Lv Moran, Cheng Zhichen, Tao YuLiu
School of Physical Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jun 18;16:1567122. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1567122. eCollection 2025.
While interpersonal relationships are known to benefit psychological health and personal development, their role in shaping physical activity behaviors among university students has yet to be thoroughly investigated. Gaining insight into the mechanisms linking these relationships to physical activity is crucial for developing effective strategies to encourage more active lifestyles in this demographic.
This study seeks to investigate how interpersonal relationships affect physical activity in university students, with a particular focus on the sequential mediating roles of social support and motivation to exercise. The findings are intended to inform theory and guide the design of practical interventions to enhance physical activity among this population.
A total of 635 university students were surveyed using a random sampling approach and a set of validated instruments, including the Comprehensive Diagnostic Scale for Interpersonal Relationships, the Physical Activity Motivation Scale, the Social Support Scale for Physical Activity, and the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Data analysis was conducted with SPSS 27.0, employing methods such as independent sample -tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, Harman's single-factor test to check for common method bias, and bootstrapped mediation testing using the PROCESS macro.
Interpersonal relationships were found to significantly influence university students' physical activity, with this effect partially explained by the sequential mediation of social support and motivation to exercise. More specifically, interpersonal relationships were negatively associated with both social support and exercise motivation ( = -0.097, = 0.014; = -0.126, = 0.001), whereas social support was positively associated with motivation to exercise ( = 0.316, < 0.001). When all variables were included in the model, both social support and exercise motivation showed significant positive effects on physical activity levels ( = 0.241, < 0.001; = 0.127, = 0.002). Mediation analysis further revealed a significant total indirect effect (value = -0.091) of social support and motivation to exercise on the relationship between interpersonal relationships and physical activity, with all three pathways-via social support, via motivation, and via the combined path of social support and motivation-yielding significant mediation effects.
This study underscores the importance of interpersonal relationships, social support, and exercise motivation in shaping physical activity among university students, with particular emphasis on the interconnected mediation pathways among these factors. The results offer a theoretical basis for developing targeted physical activity interventions, highlighting the need to address these elements collectively rather than in isolation. Future studies are encouraged to explore how these relationships hold across diverse populations and cultural settings and to use longitudinal methods to establish causal links better.
虽然人际关系有利于心理健康和个人发展，但其在塑造大学生体育活动行为方面的作用尚未得到充分研究。深入了解将这些关系与体育活动联系起来的机制，对于制定有效的策略以鼓励这一人群养成更积极的生活方式至关重要。
本研究旨在调查人际关系如何影响大学生的体育活动，特别关注社会支持和锻炼动机的顺序中介作用。研究结果旨在为理论提供信息，并指导设计实际干预措施，以增强这一人群的体育活动。
采用随机抽样方法和一套经过验证的工具，对635名大学生进行了调查，这些工具包括人际关系综合诊断量表、体育活动动机量表、体育活动社会支持量表和国际体育活动问卷简版（IPAQ-SF）。使用SPSS 27.0进行数据分析，采用独立样本t检验、单因素方差分析、Pearson相关分析、用于检验共同方法偏差的Harman单因素检验，以及使用PROCESS宏进行的自抽样中介检验等方法。
发现人际关系对大学生的体育活动有显著影响，社会支持和锻炼动机的顺序中介作用部分解释了这种影响。更具体地说，人际关系与社会支持和锻炼动机均呈负相关（r = -0.097，p = 0.014；r = -0.126，p = 0.001），而社会支持与锻炼动机呈正相关（r = 0.316，p < 0.001）。当所有变量纳入模型时，社会支持和锻炼动机对体育活动水平均显示出显著的正向影响（β = 0.241，p < 0.001；β = 0.127，p = 0.002）。中介分析进一步揭示了社会支持和锻炼动机对人际关系与体育活动之间关系的显著总间接效应（值 = -0.091），所有三条路径——通过社会支持、通过动机以及通过社会支持和动机的联合路径——均产生显著的中介效应。
本研究强调了人际关系、社会支持和锻炼动机在塑造大学生体育活动方面的重要性，特别强调了这些因素之间相互关联的中介路径。研究结果为制定有针对性的体育活动干预措施提供了理论依据，突出了需要综合而非孤立地解决这些因素。鼓励未来的研究探索这些关系在不同人群和文化背景中的情况，并使用纵向方法更好地建立因果联系。
