# Vigorous physical activity is associated with mental well-being: indirect associations via resilience and physical self-esteem in university students

## TL;DR

Vigorous physical activity improves mental well-being in university students, partly through increased resilience and physical self-esteem.

## Contribution

The study identifies indirect pathways via resilience and physical self-esteem linking vigorous physical activity to mental well-being.

## Key findings

- Vigorous physical activity is positively linked to resilience and physical self-esteem.
- Resilience and physical self-esteem mediate the relationship between physical activity and mental well-being.
- The serial mediation model shows a small but significant indirect effect through resilience and physical self-esteem.

## Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined whether resilience and physical self-esteem statistically account for the association between vigorous physical activity (VPA) and mental well-being among university students. A total of 2,432 undergraduates from three universities in Guangdong, China completed validated measures of VPA (IPAQ-SF), resilience (CD-RISC-10), physical self-esteem (PSPP–Physical Self-Worth), and mental well-being (WHO-5). After confirming the measurement model, a hypothesized serial mediation model (VPA → resilience → physical self-esteem → mental well-being) was tested using structural equation modeling. The model demonstrated acceptable fit (CFI = 0.952, TLI = 0.944, RMSEA = 0.047, SRMR = 0.039). VPA showed positive associations with resilience (β = 0.24, p < 0.001) and physical self-esteem (β = 0.20, p < 0.001). Resilience was positively associated with physical self-esteem (β = 0.38, p < 0.001) and mental well-being (β = 0.36, p < 0.001), and physical self-esteem was positively associated with mental well-being (β = 0.24, p < 0.001). The direct association between VPA and mental well-being remained small but significant (β = 0.06, p < 0.01). Bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) indicated significant indirect associations via resilience, via physical self-esteem, and through the serial pathway, although the serial indirect effect was small in magnitude. These findings are consistent with partial statistical mediation and suggest that interventions may benefit from integrating vigorous physical activity with resilience-building and competence-enhancing components. Given the cross-sectional design, the results reflect associations and do not permit causal inference. Mental well-being was operationalized as positive well-being, with higher WHO-5 scores indicating better well-being.