ArticlePloS one2026
Impact of physical exercise on sleep quality in college students: A Chain mediating role of self-efficacy and emotional control.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Body and Mind Intertwined: Physical Activity Intensity, Sleep Quality, and Depressive Symptoms: Cross-Sectional Associations and Exploratory Path Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Adolescent Sports Learning Interest and Subjective Well-Being: The Chain Mediating Role of Social Anxiety and Sleep Quality.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The impact of physical exercise on sleep quality among college students: a moderated mediation model.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
33 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe study aims to examine the impact of physical exercise on sleep quality among college students and elucidate the mediating roles of self-efficacy and emotional control in this relationship.
methodsData were obtained from the 2024 China College Students' Physical Activity and Health Tracking Survey (CPAHLS-CS). A sample of 10,970 college students was included. Physical exercise levels were measured using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), self-efficacy was measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and emotional control was assessed using the Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale. Regression analysis and Bootstrap mediation analysis were employed to test the hypothesised relationships.
results(1) The direct effect of physical exercise on sleep quality was not significant (β = 0.011, P > 0.05). However, the total effect was negative (β = -0.056, P < 0.001), indicating that indirect effects comprised the predominant mechanism. (2) Self-efficacy (effect size = -0.024) and emotional control (effect size = -0.022) each independently mediated the relationship between physical exercise and sleep quality. (3) In the pathway through which physical exercise influences sleep quality, self-efficacy, and emotional control functioned as independent mediating variables. Specifically, physical exercise indirectly improved sleep quality by enhancing self-efficacy while positively impacting sleep quality through a distinct mediating mechanism involving strengthening emotional control.
conclusionsThis study demonstrates the influence of physical exercise, self-efficacy, and emotional control on sleep quality. The findings suggest that physical exercise indirectly optimises sleep quality through a dynamic and synergistic mechanism involving the enhancement of self-efficacy and emotional control. This study provides theoretical support and practical pathways for sleep quality interventions in college students.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.