engleski

Psychological well-being of students non-exercisers, exercisers and athletes: the role of gender

With the modern lifestyle and consequent adverse effects of physical inactivity, there has been an increased emphasis on physical activity as a protective factor in preserving and improving psychological well-being. As a result, some empirical and theoretical insights have been made. However, research is dominantly focused on the clinical and older population, leaving the question of the relationship between physical activity (PA) and the psychological well- being of late adolescents and young adults still relevant. Thus, this research aimed to explore whether some dimensions of psychological-well being of students non- exercisers, exercisers and athletes differ and to test whether the effect is unified across the gender. In the preliminary phase of the project, a sample of 361 students (Nnon-exercisers = 101 ; Nexercisers = 183 ; Nathletes = 77) aged between 18 – 27 years (Mage = 22, 25, (2, 71) ; Nmale = 115, Nfemale = 246) completed Mental Toughness Index, Brief Resilience Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and Anxiety subscale of Emotional State Scale. Given theoretical suggestions and correlations between indicators of psychological well-being confirmed, we utilized factorial MANOVA, with PA levels and gender as independent and mental toughness, resilience, anxiety and depression as dependent variables. The results showed higher mental toughness, higher resilience, lower anxiety and lower depression in exercisers and athletes compared to non-exercisers. Furthermore, a significant interaction of PA levels and gender showed that male non-exercisers tend to have lower mental toughness than female non-exercisers, while male exercisers and athletes tend to have higher mental toughness than female exercisers and athletes. Additionally, results suggested potentially different effects of PA levels on anxiety and depression in male and female students. However, those tendencies were not statistically significant. Finally, we discuss our study's findings regarding other theoretically relevant moderators and mediators of PA effects, such as PA habit strength and PA identity.

Physical Activity, Psychological Well-being, Students, Gender

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