Characteristics of Academic Stress Categories among Master's Students Based on Latent Profile Analysis and Their Relationship with Physical Exercise

Background This study identifies latent profiles of academic stress among Master’s students and examines their association with physical activity , thereby providing an empirical basis for identifying high-risk stress groups and implementing targeted health interventions. Methods From September to December 2024, a stratified cluster sampling method was employed to survey 500 Master’s students from a university in Henan Province, China. The Academic Stress Scale for Master’s Students and the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3) were used to assess academic stress and physical activity levels, respectively. Latent profile analysis was conducted using Mplus 8.3 to identify distinct stress profiles, while chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression were performed with SPSS 26.0. Results Revealed three latent profiles of academic stress: “Low-Risk/Well-Adapted” (21.3%), “Moderate-Risk/Normative Coping” (52.1%), and “High-Risk/Elevated Symptom” (26.5%). The distribution of these profiles significantly differed by gender and grade year (all P < 0.01). Multinomial logistic regression revealed that female students (OR = 2.28), those in humanities/social sciences (OR = 1.85), and students from rural backgrounds (OR = 1.93) were at significantly higher risk of belonging to the high-stress profile. Importantly, a significant dose-response relationship was observed between academic stress and physical activity: compared to the “High-Risk/Elevated Symptom” group, the “Low-Risk/Well-Adapted” (OR = 7.81) and “Moderate-Risk/Normative Coping” (OR = 4.44) groups were significantly more likely to maintain high levels of physical activity. Conclusions Academic stress among Master’s students exhibits significant population heterogeneity, with high academic stress serving as a strong predictor of insufficient physical activity. Mental health promotion efforts in universities should shift from universal approaches to targeted strategies, prioritizing support for female students, those in humanities/social sciences, and students from rural backgrounds. Adaptive physical activity interventions should be promoted to break the “high stress–low activity” cycle, thereby enhancing both physical and mental health and improving academic outcomes.