Physical exercise and adolescent mental toughness: mediating effects of family support and socioeconomic status

TL;DR

Regular physical exercise improves mental toughness in adolescents, with family support and peer relationships playing key roles in this effect.

Contribution

The study identifies family support and peer relationships as mediators linking physical exercise to adolescent mental toughness.

Findings

Physical exercise significantly enhances mental toughness in adolescents (P < 0.001).

Family support partially mediates the relationship between physical exercise and mental toughness (P < 0.001).

Peer relationships also act as a mediating factor in the relationship between exercise and mental toughness (P < 0.001).

Abstract

Mental toughness refers to an individual’s capacity to respond positively to stress and frustration in social contexts, and it is considered a crucial aspect of mental health. Physical education is increasingly being recognized as an effective means of promoting psychological well-being among adolescents.

This paper explores the relationship between physical exercise and mental toughness in adolescents, examining the underlying mechanisms through the lenses of family support and socioeconomic status (SES).

Findings from an analysis of an adolescent health database indicate that (1) physical exercise significantly enhances mental toughness (P < 0.001); specifically, increased duration and diversity of physical activity are associated with greater resilience to anxiety, depression, and hostility. (2) Family support (P < 0.001) plays a partial mediating role between physical exercise and mental toughness, indicating the mental health benefits of adolescents. (3) Physical exercise is not influenced by adolescents’ level of mental toughness through the mediating effect of SES (P > 0.05). (4) Consideration of other factors revealed that peer relationships (P < 0.001) emerged as an important mediating factor, highlighting the role of social interaction during physical exercise in fostering mental toughness and resilience among adolescents.

In conclusion, this study demonstrates that regular physical exercise is positively associated with higher psychological resilience among adolescents, and this relationship is partially mediated by enhanced family support and better peer relationships. These findings underscore the importance of supportive family and peer environments in amplifying the beneficial effects of exercise on youth resilience, and they highlight the need for future longitudinal research and intervention efforts to confirm these causal pathways and extend the insights to broader populations.

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