The association between physical activity and perceived stress among adolescents: the serial mediating roles of social-emotional competence and prosocial behavior.

Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental period characterized by heightened vulnerability to stress. Stressors such as academic demands, interpersonal relationships, and the family environment may intensify perceived stress (PS). Physical activity (PA) has been associated with adolescents' appraisal of and coping with stressful events, potentially in relation to psychosocial resources. This study examined the association between PA and PS and investigated the potential roles of social-emotional competence (SEC) and prosocial behavior (PB). Methods: PA, SEC, PB, and PS were assessed using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), the Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire, the Prosocial Tendencies Measure, and the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), respectively. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted using SPSS 27.0. PROCESS 4.1 Model 6 was used to test the independent and serial mediating effects of SEC and PB. Results: (1) PA was significantly negatively associated with PS ( Conclusion: PA was associated with lower PS among adolescents, and the indirect associations were consistent with the prespecified ordering of SEC and PB. These findings may inform future research on how team sports and sport-based public-service activities relate to adolescents' developmental resources, coping, and PS.