Physical activity among college students is a complex phenomenon influenced by many factors. This study aimed to examine the associations among psychological resilience, physical self-efficacy, and physical activity among college students and to analyze the statistically mediating role of physical self-efficacy in this relationship. A cross-sectional study design was employed, involving 650 college students selected from a university in Zhuhai. Measurements were conducted using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the College Students' Physical Self-Efficacy Scale. A total of 600 valid questionnaires were retrieved. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 29.0 and Process 4.2 software and included mainly correlation, regression, mediation, and moderation analyses. The results of this study revealed that psychological resilience, physical activity, and physical self-efficacy were correlated significantly positively with each other. The statistical results indicated an indirect statistical association from psychological resilience to physical activity via physical self-efficacy, with an indirect coefficient of 0.133 (95% confidence interval: 0.080-0.194). In this model, the indirect path coefficient accounted for approximately 50.19% of the total path coefficient. In addition, gender moderated the strength of the association significantly between physical self-efficacy and physical activity. Psychological resilience was correlated not only directly positively with college students' physical activity levels but also indirectly significantly with physical self-efficacy. Therefore, while considering gender differences, focusing on student levels of psychological resilience and physical self-efficacy can aid in the understanding of the psychological factors associated with college students' active participation in physical activity.
Xiao et al. (Tue,) studied this question.