The mediating role of sleep quality on the relationship between physical activity and social anxiety disorder among Chinese college freshmen

作者：Ying‐Ying Liu, Z. D. Nie, Huihua Dong, Linpei Shou, Xu Jing, Qingqing Cao, Yitian Shi, Chenyang Wu, Mu Zhang, Jun Yang, Shufen Han · 发表于：Frontiers in Psychology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1599041 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes、Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies、Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Objectives Social anxiety disorder (SAD) profoundly impacts the wellbeing of college students, both physically and psychologically. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of sleep quality on the relationship between physical activity and SAD among Chinese college freshmen. Methods This was a cross-sectional study enrolling 1,408 participants through convenience sampling. Participants self-reported their physical activity, sleep quality, and social anxiety status using an electronic questionnaire. Results The overall prevalence of SAD was 33.05%. A significant negative association was observed between physical activity and SAD (adjusted β = −0.054, 95% CI: −0.053 to −0.001). Mediation analysis indicated that sleep quality may mediated 24.33% of the association between physical activity and SAD (indirect effect estimate = −0.009, direct effect estimate = −0.028, p < 0.01). Conclusions Less physical activity is associated with SAD among Chinese college freshmen, and this relationship is partially mediated by poor sleep quality. It is recommended that educational institutions implement programs to promote regular physical exercise and enhance sleep quality to mitigate the impacts of SAD in this population.