Physical Activity and College Students’ Subjective Well-being: The Mediating Roles of Basic Psychological Needs and Self-Efficacy

Zhou Nairun, Yue Yanli and Li Jiajing

SAGE Open, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 21582440251365997

Abstract: Subjective well-being stands as a pivotal and comprehensive psychological indicator reflecting an individual’s quality of life, often intertwined with physical activity. However, the complex mechanisms through which physical activity influences an individual’s subjective well-being have not been thoroughly explored. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the influence of physical activity on the subjective well-being of college students, examining the chain-mediated effects of basic psychological needs and self-efficacy. This study recruited 389 college students, and data were collected using validated instruments: the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Subjective Well-Being Scale, Basic Psychological Needs Scale, and Self-Efficacy Scale. Statistical analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). A chain mediation model was employed to examine the potential mediating effects of basic psychological needs and self-efficacy in the effects of physical activity on college students’ subjective well-being. Analysis revealed significant positive correlations among physical activity, subjective well-being, basic psychological needs, and self-efficacy ( p  

Keywords: college students; physical activity; subjective well-being; basic psychological needs satisfaction; self-efficacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:21582440251365997

DOI: 10.1177/21582440251365997

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