{
  "abstract": "Background: Mental health challenges among university students have intensified globally, with rising anxiety and social isolation reported across diverse educational contexts. These trends demand innovative, accessible, and non-stigmatizing approaches that complement traditional clinical services. This study examined whether participation in Rock “n” Roll Dancesport (Jive and Cha-Cha) was prospectively associated with improvements in self-efficacy, anxiety symptoms, and heart rate variability (HRV) among Chinese university students over 6 months.\n\nMethods: A three-wave longitudinal mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative assessments were conducted at baseline (T1, n = 152), 3 months (T2, n = 136), and 6 months (T3, n = 131). Measures included the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Social Self-Efficacy Scale (SSES), GAD-7 for anxiety symptoms, and resting HRV. Linear mixed-effects models examined the effects of time, baseline dance frequency group (high: ≥3 sessions/week vs. low: 1–2 sessions/week), and their interaction on each outcome, controlling for age, gender, and academic year. Semi-structured interviews ( n = 32) and 50 + hours of observation explored participants’ lived experiences.\n\nResults: Mixed-effects models revealed significant main effects of frequency group across all outcomes: high-frequency participants showed higher GSES ( β = 3.60, p < 0.001), higher SSES ( β = 8.62, p < 0.001), lower GAD-7 ( β = −2.80, p < 0.001), and higher HRV ( β = 7.64 ms, p < 0.001). Significant Time × Frequency Group interactions indicated that high-frequency participants showed greater improvements over 6 months in SSES (T2: β = 2.40, p = 0.001; T3: β = 2.37, p = 0.001), GSES (T3: β = 0.99, p = 0.007), and HRV (T3: β = 3.10, p = 0.004). Qualitative analysis identified four interconnected experiential themes: rhythmic entrainment as affective catalyst, embodied mastery as a source of self-efficacy, synchronized partnership as a context for trust, and meaning-making as narrative integration.\n\nConclusion: More frequent Rock “n” Roll Dancesport participation was prospectively associated with improvements in self-efficacy, anxiety symptoms, and HRV over 6 months. The convergence of quantitative trajectories and qualitative narratives supports a directional interpretation consistent with participation temporally preceding psychological gains, while acknowledging that self-selection and reciprocal effects remain plausible. These findings suggest that structured, arts-based physical activities may serve as promising, non-stigmatizing contexts for resource-building among university students.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Physical Education, Guangzhou University , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuanmei He"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jialin Wu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/21a2rhsk5phcc.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1928623",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13674341/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "21a2rhsk5phcc",
  "issns": [
    "2296-2565"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13674341",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3205|Diversity and Impact of Dance"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7216067244",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13674341/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13674341",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-02",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/21a2rhsk5phcc.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:25Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13674341",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13674341"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1928623",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1928623/full"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "issn:2296-2565",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Dancing to wellbeing: a three-wave longitudinal mixed-methods study of Rock “n” Roll Dancesport and psychosocial outcomes in Chinese university students",
  "title_text": "Dancing to wellbeing: a three-wave longitudinal mixed-methods study of Rock “n” Roll Dancesport and psychosocial outcomes in Chinese university students",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:22Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/21a2rhsk5phcc",
  "venue": "Frontiers in public health",
  "versions": []
}