Physical activity and internalization problems in middle school students: the chain mediating role of rumination thinking and peer acceptance.

This study explores methods to improve internalizing problems in middle school students through physical exercise, aiming to construct a mediational model that includes physical exercise, Rumination, peer acceptance, and internalizing problems. The model examines the interactions and influence pathways among these variables to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism through which physical exercise impacts internalizing problems in middle school students. 671 junior high school students were surveyed by physical exercise scale, Rumination scale, peer acceptance scale and internalization question scale. SPSS26.0 was used to analyze the data, followed by descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, Harman single factor test and Bootstrap analysis. (1) Physical exercise was negatively correlated with internalizing problems (r = - 0.286), but the direct path between physical exercise and internalizing problems was not statistically significant (β = - 0.060, p > 0.05, CI [- 0.137, 0.018]); (2) Physical exercise was significantly negatively correlated with Rumination (β = - 0.174, p < 0.001, CI [- 0.255, - 0.094]) and significantly positively correlated with peer acceptance (β = 0.357, p < 0.001, CI [0.286, 0.429]). Rumination was significantly negatively correlated with peer acceptance (β = - 0.128, p < 0.001, CI [- 0.199, - 0.056]) and significantly positively correlated with internalizing problems (β = 0.289, p < 0.001, CI [0.222, 0.356]); peer acceptance was significantly negatively correlated with internalizing problems (β = - 0.372, p < 0.001, CI [- 0.448, - 0.296]). (3) The total effect of the chain mediation model was - 0.251, and the direct effect of physical exercise and internalized problems was - 0.059,The total effect accounted for 23.51%, Rumination and Peer acceptance played a mediating role between physical exercise and internalized behavior problems, and the total indirect effect size was - 0.192, The total effect accounted for 76.49%. The mediating effect values of Rumination and Peer acceptance between physical exercise and internalized behavior problems were - 0.050 and - 0.133, accounting for 19.92% and 52.99%, respectively. The chain-mediated effect between Rumination and Peer acceptance between physical exercise and internalized behavior problems was - 0.008, and the chain-mediated effect accounted for 3.19%. Physical exercise is negatively correlated with internalization, Rumination is negatively correlated with peer acceptance; Rumination and peer acceptance, as mediating variables, not only play an independent mediating role between physical exercise and junior high school students' internalization problems, but also further strengthen their role in junior high school students' internalization problems through chain mediation. Although the effect value of chain mediation is small, it is worthy of attention, suggesting that there is a synergistic effect among the variables. The results of this study provide an important reference for the design of school physical exercise curriculum. Through reasonable design of physical education curriculum, the interest and attraction of physical exercise can be increased, and the participation of students can be improved indirectly, thus promoting the improvement of internalization problems. At the same time, it can be considered to combine physical exercise with mental health education, and cultivate students' methods and abilities to cope with pressure and negative emotions through physical exercise courses, cultivate positive and optimistic attitude, and improve junior middle school students' mental toughness and social adaptability.