What Associations Exist Between Physical Activity and Sleep Quality Across College Students’ Latent Negative Emotion? Heterogeneity in Negative Emotion Mediation

OBJECTIVE: Elevated negative emotions and poor sleep are prevalent among Chinese college students. From the perspective of negative emotion heterogeneity, this study explored group differences in the mediation patterns between physical activity and sleep quality to inform targeted interventions. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed. A total of 1953 college students completed the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Latent profile analysis and mediation analyses were performed using SPSS, Mplus, and MATLAB. RESULTS: Three latent subgroups were identified: the psychological resilience group, the sub-health psychological group, and the multiple distress group. Significant gradient differences in physical activity and sleep quality existed across groups. For the full sample, both direct and indirect associations (mediated by negative emotions) were observed between physical activity and sleep quality. Profile-specific analyses confirmed stable mediation patterns across subgroups. Indirect effects decreased sequentially from the psychological resilience group to the sub-health psychological and multiple distress groups, with mediation proportions of 21.4%, 16.3%, and 17.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Given the distinct features of each profile, universities may deliver stratified physical activity guidance. Customized exercise programs are recommended for students with multiple psychological concerns, those from economically disadvantaged families, and freshmen, to help stabilize mental status and improve sleep quality.