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. 2023 Aug 31;23(1):1677.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16536-4.

Relationship among subjective exercise experience, exercise behavior, and trait anxiety in adolescents

Shuyu Luo #  1 , Lian Feng #  2 , Jiabao Zhao  3
Affiliations

Relationship among subjective exercise experience, exercise behavior, and trait anxiety in adolescents

Shuyu Luo et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the influence of subjective exercise experience on adolescent trait anxiety and to reveal the mediating effect of exercise behavior.

Methods: Using the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale (SEES), Physical Exercise Rating Scale (PARS-3), and Trait Anxiety Inventory (T-AI), a questionnaire survey was conducted among 500 adolescents in Southwest China, and the SPSS21.0 and AMOS21.0 statistical analysis software was used to statistics and analysis on the questionnaires.

Results: 1) Among adolescents, the exercise behavior of boys was significantly higher than that of girls (p < 0.05), and the subjective exercise experience of students aged 9 to 12 was significantly higher than that of students aged 12 to 15 (p < 0.05). 2) The subjective exercise experience could directly and positively predict exercise behavior (β = 0.45, p < 0.001) and negatively predict trait anxiety (β = -0.26, p < 0.05), and exercise behavior could directly and negatively predict trait anxiety (β = -0.32, p < 0.01). 3) The exercise behavior played a partial mediating effect between subjective exercise experience and trait anxiety (the mediation effect was -0.14). Among them, compared with low- and high-exercise amounts, the exercise behavior of moderate exercise amounts had the strongest mediating effect between subjective exercise experience and trait anxiety.

Conclusion: The good subjective exercise experience not only has direct benefits for improving trait anxiety in adolescents but also helps to improve their exercise behavior, enrich daily physical exercise activities, and indirectly promote the reduction of trait anxiety.

Keywords: Adolescents; Exercise behavior; Mediating effect; Subjective exercise experience; Trait anxiety.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mediating effect model of exercise behavior between subjective exercise experience and trait anxiety. Note: *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mediating model of low exercise amount between subjective exercise experience and trait anxiety
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mediating model of moderate exercise amount between subjective exercise experience and trait anxiety
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Mediating model of high exercise amount between subjective exercise experience and trait anxiety
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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