Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms in Guangdong University Students: A Cross-Sectional Moderated Serial Indirect-Association Model Involving Self-Esteem, Positive Psychological Capital, and Perceived Social Support.
4 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Sport Science, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, East Jakarta 13220, Indonesia.
- 2Physical Education Department, Hubei University of Technology Engineering and Technology College, Wuhan 430068, China.
- 3School of Physical Education, Guangzhou College of Commerce, Guangzhou 511363, China.
- 4College of Exercise and Health, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou 510500, China.
Abstract
Background: This cross-sectional study examined whether physical activity was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through self-esteem and positive psychological capital and whether these associations varied by perceived social support. Methods: Data from 473 students at three Guangdong universities were used to assess physical activity, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, positive psychological capital, and perceived social support. Serial and moderated serial indirect associations were estimated using PROCESS v4.1 (Model 6; a custom moderated specification equivalent to PROCESS Model 89 for the joint outcome equation; 5000 bootstrap resamples), adjusting for gender, grade, and hometown, with three interactions entered simultaneously in the same outcome equation. Results: Physical activity was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (total association: B = -0.175, 95% CI [-0.215, -0.138]; direct association: B = -0.079, 95% CI [-0.120, -0.039]), and the total indirect association was B = -0.097 (95% CI [-0.126, -0.070]), with specific indirect associations through self-esteem (B = -0.031), positive psychological capital (B = -0.048), and the serial pathway (B = -0.017); the positive psychological capital pathway was significantly larger than the serial pathway (difference = -0.031, 95% CI [-0.048, -0.016]). Perceived social support moderated the associations of physical activity (B = 0.0043, p = 0.009), self-esteem (B = 0.0256, p < 0.001), and positive psychological capital (B = 0.0062, p < 0.001) with depressive symptoms in the simultaneous custom moderated outcome equation (R² = 0.449); all three indices of moderated mediation were significant, and conditional indirect associations were stronger at lower support, with the self-esteem pathway no longer significant at high support. Conclusions: Physical activity was cross-sectionally associated with fewer depressive symptoms via independent and serial indirect associations involving self-esteem and positive psychological capital, with perceived social support showing a compensatory moderating pattern; temporal or causal ordering was not established.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026physical,
title = {{Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms in Guangdong University Students: A Cross-Sectional Moderated Serial Indirect-Association Model Involving Self-Esteem, Positive Psychological Capital, and Perceived Social Support.}},
author = {Zhihui Liu and Zhijie Lai and Taufik Rihatno and Widiastuti and Johansyah Lubis},
journal = {Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/healthcare14203484},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940529},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms in Guangdong University Students: A Cross-Sectional Moderated Serial Indirect-Association Model Involving Self-Esteem, Positive Psychological Capital, and Perceived Social Support.
AU - Zhihui Liu
AU - Zhijie Lai
AU - Taufik Rihatno
AU - Widiastuti
AU - Johansyah Lubis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/healthcare14203484
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940529
AB - Background: This cross-sectional study examined whether physical activity was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through self-esteem and positive psychological capital and whether these associations varied by perceived social support. Methods: Data from 473 students at three Guangdong universities were used to assess physical activity, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, positive psychological capital, and perceived social support. Serial and moderated serial indirect associations were estimated using PROCESS v4.1 (Model 6; a custom moderated specification equivalent to PROCESS Model 89 for the joint outcome equation; 5000 bootstrap resamples), adjusting for gender, grade, and hometown, with three interactions entered simultaneously in the same outcome equation. Results: Physical activity was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (total association: B = -0.175, 95% CI [-0.215, -0.138]; direct association: B = -0.079, 95% CI [-0.120, -0.039]), and the total indirect association was B = -0.097 (95% CI [-0.126, -0.070]), with specific indirect associations through self-esteem (B = -0.031), positive psychological capital (B = -0.048), and the serial pathway (B = -0.017); the positive psychological capital pathway was significantly larger than the serial pathway (difference = -0.031, 95% CI [-0.048, -0.016]). Perceived social support moderated the associations of physical activity (B = 0.0043, p = 0.009), self-esteem (B = 0.0256, p < 0.001), and positive psychological capital (B = 0.0062, p < 0.001) with depressive symptoms in the simultaneous custom moderated outcome equation (R² = 0.449); all three indices of moderated mediation were significant, and conditional indirect associations were stronger at lower support, with the self-esteem pathway no longer significant at high support. Conclusions: Physical activity was cross-sectionally associated with fewer depressive symptoms via independent and serial indirect associations involving self-esteem and positive psychological capital, with perceived social support showing a compensatory moderating pattern; temporal or causal ordering was not established.
SN - 2227-9032
ER -