Dou Xiumin, Cai Erkang, Liu Yiting, Chen Tianle, Tan Teck Cheng, Gu Qian, Huang Tao
Department of Physical Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Department of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, China.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Jul 21;25(1):2518. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23673-5.
Depressive symptoms are prevalent mental health issues among college students. Physical activity has been recognized as a potential protective factor. However, the mechanisms through which physical activity alleviates depressive symptoms remain unclear.
This study aimed to investigate the associations between physical activity, psychological flexibility, psychological inflexibility, and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students. The mediating roles of psychological flexibility and psychological inflexibility on these associations were also examined.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1205 college students from four universities in Shanghai, China. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) were used to assess physical activity and depressive symptoms, respectively. Psychological flexibility and psychological inflexibility were measured using the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory Short Form (MPFI-24). PROCESS macro models were used to analyze the mediating effects of psychological flexibility and psychological inflexibility on the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms.
The results showed a significant negative correlation between physical activity and depressive symptoms (r = -0.15, p < 0.01). Psychological inflexibility played a partial mediation role in the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms (indirect effect: -0.24, 95% CI: -0.48 ~ -0.01). However, psychological flexibility did not mediate the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms.
The study suggested that psychological inflexibility partially mediated the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms among college students. Interventions targeting physical activity and psychological inflexibility may be effective strategies for lowering depressive symptoms in this population.
抑郁症状是大学生中普遍存在的心理健康问题。体育活动已被认为是一种潜在的保护因素。然而，体育活动减轻抑郁症状的机制尚不清楚。
本研究旨在探讨中国大学生体育活动、心理灵活性、心理僵化与抑郁症状之间的关联。同时也考察了心理灵活性和心理僵化在这些关联中的中介作用。
对来自中国上海四所大学的1205名大学生进行了横断面研究。分别使用国际体力活动问卷简表（IPAQ-SF）和流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CESD-10）来评估体育活动和抑郁症状。使用多维心理灵活性量表简表（MPFI-24）测量心理灵活性和心理僵化。采用PROCESS宏模型分析心理灵活性和心理僵化对体育活动与抑郁症状关系的中介作用。
结果显示体育活动与抑郁症状之间存在显著负相关（r = -0.15，p < 0.01）。心理僵化在体育活动与抑郁症状的关联中起部分中介作用（间接效应：-0.24，95%CI：-0.48 ~ -0.01）。然而，心理灵活性并未中介体育活动与抑郁症状之间的关联。
该研究表明心理僵化部分中介了大学生体育活动与抑郁症状之间的关联。针对体育活动和心理僵化的干预措施可能是降低该人群抑郁症状的有效策略。
