The Impact of Physical Activity on Coping Styles in Adolescents: The Chain Mediating Role of Friendship Quality and Psychological Resilience

Background In modern society, teenagers face various pressures and challenges, such as academic stress and the impact of social media, contributing to a rise in depression rates within this demographic. It has been demonstrated that physical activity (PA) exerts a positive influence on the mental health of adolescents and offers chances for social engagement, such as coping styles(CS). The purpose of this research is to investigate the positive effects of PA on teenagers, specifically emphasizing on the mediating roles of friendship quality(FQ) and psychological resilience(PR). Method A cross-sectional study in Henan, China, involved 512 high school students from four private schools. Participants completed self-report questionnaires that assess four variables. The Pearson correlation was conducted to explore relationships among variables and the SPSS Hayes PROCESS macro, Model 6, was utilized to examine the proposed chain mediation effects. Results Regression analysis showed that PA significantly predicts FQ (β = 0.41, t = 8.75, p < 0.01), PR (β = 0.45, t = 3.57, p < 0.01), and CP (β = 0.27, t = 16.39, p < 0.01). FQ and PR significantly predict coping styles (β = 0.19, t = 11.65, p < 0.01; β = 0.34, t = 9.77, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis identified via three significant pathways: FQ(effect size = 0.08, 95% CI=[0.01, 0.13]), PR(effect size = 0.15, 95% CI=[0.06, 0.26]), and the combination of FQ and PR(effect size = 0.05, 95% CI= [0.03, 0.13]). Conclusion PA is crucial in improving adolescents' coping strategies, and FQ along with PR serve as key mediators in this process. Policymakers, educators, and parents should prioritize PA to support holistic adolescent development. Future studies could investigate other mediating factors like family support and analyze certain moderating variables to enhance the comprehensiveness of the research.