Self-Compassion Mediates the Link Between Exercise Frequency and Psychological Distress in Young Adults

Introduction. Regular physical activity is associated with lower psychological distress, and self‑compassion has emerged as a robust protective factor against depression, anxiety, and stress. Objective. This study examined whether self‑compassion mediates the association between exercise frequency and psychological distress in young adults, and explored whether exercise characteristics (type, location, session duration) and demographics (sex/gender, age) moderate these associations. Method. University students (N = 581) completed the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS-SF) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales–21 (DASS-21). Spearman correlations and OLS regression models were estimated, and mediation was tested using PROCESS Model 4 with BCa bootstrapping (3,000 resamples). Moderation was examined with PROCESS Model 1 (HC3 robust inference), including sensitivity analyses among exercisers only. Results. Exercise frequency was positively associated with self-compassion (ρ = .18, p < .001) and negatively associated with global distress (ρ = −.15, p < .001) and each subscale (depression ρ = −.12; anxiety ρ = −.13; stress ρ = −.15; all ps ≤ .002). Self-compassion was strongly inversely associated with global distress and symptom domains (ρs ≈ −.46 to −.53, all ps < .001). Mediation analyses supported self-compassion as an explanatory pathway: exercise frequency predicted higher self-compassion (a = 0.061, p < .001), which predicted lower global distress (b = −10.81, p < .001), yielding a significant indirect effect (ab = −0.668, 95% BCa CI [−1.034, −0.317]) while the direct effect was nonsignificant. Indirect effects were also significant for depression, anxiety, and stress (partial mediation for stress). Moderation analyses provided no evidence that exercise type, location, session duration, or sex/gender altered the exercise frequency–distress associations; age moderated the exercise frequency–depression association among exercisers only, with the negative association evident primarily at younger ages (Johnson–Neyman region: ≤ ~21.10 years). Conclusion. More frequent exercise is linked to lower psychological distress largely through higher self-compassion in young adults, supporting integrated approaches that promote regular exercise alongside self-compassionate coping skills. Article history: Received 2026 July 13; Revised 2026 September 04; Accepted 2026 September 05; Available online 2026 September 30; Available print 2026 September 30