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Objective This study aimed to examine the relationships among psychological resilience, exercise motivation, and sports participation in adolescents, with a focus on demographic differences, the mediating role of exercise motivation, and structural invariance across gender. Methods A total of 2,588 adolescents from grades 7 to 12 were recruited using stratified random sampling, ensuring representation across school levels and rural–urban residence. Demographic differences were analyzed using independent sample t -tests and one-way ANOVA. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to conduct mediation analysis and multi-group invariance testing. Results Significant demographic differences were observed. Males reported higher levels of psychological resilience, exercise motivation, and sports participation compared to females ( p 0.001). High school students demonstrated greater psychological resilience and exercise motivation, whereas middle school students exhibited higher sports participation. Rural adolescents outperformed urban counterparts across all key variables ( p 0.001), highlighting the influence of environmental factors on adolescents’ physical activity. The mediation analysis confirmed that exercise motivation significantly mediated the relationship between psychological resilience and sports participation, with indirect effects accounting for 60.26% of the total effect ( p 0.001). Model fit indices (CFI, TLI, RMSEA, SRMR) demonstrated a good model fit, supporting the validity of the proposed relationships. Structural invariance testing further indicated consistent relationships across genders, affirming the robustness and generalizability of the model. Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of psychological resilience and exercise motivation in promoting adolescents’ sports participation. The study provides empirical evidence and practical insights for designing targeted interventions to support diverse demographic groups and enhance long-term physical activity engagement among adolescents.
Hu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.