The mediating role of physical self-perception and the moderating effect of gender in the association between physical activity and psychological well-being among young recreational participants
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, cilt.17, sa.1886525, ss.1-12, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 17 Sayı: 1886525
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1886525
- Dergi Adı: FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), IBZ Online, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals, MLA International Bibliography
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-12
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background/objective:
Psychological well-being disorders are increasingly prevalent among young people. While physical activity is known to benefit psychological well-being, the mechanisms—particularly the role of physical self-perception and gender in recreational context remain underexplored. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, this study investigates the mediating role of physical self-perception in the relationship between recreational physical activity and psychological well-being and examines whether gender moderates this mediation among youth aged 15–24.
Methods:
A descriptive-relational survey design was employed. The sample comprised 468 young adults (58.5% male, 41.5% female; M_age = 20.08) who regularly participated in recreational physical activities. Data were collected using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP), and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using PROCESS macro-Models 4 and 7.
Results:
The direct effect of physical activity on psychological well-being was not significant. However, physical self-perception fully mediated the relationship between physical activity and psychological well-being (indirect effect: β = 0.219, 95% CI [0.151, 0.290]). Among the sub-dimensions of physical self-perception, body attractiveness had the strongest mediating effect. Moderation analysis revealed that gender did not significantly moderate the mediation pathways (a path: p = 0.156; b path: p = 0.954). The mediation mechanism operated with similar strength in both males and females.
Conclusion:
Recreational physical activity improves psychological well-being entirely through the enhancement of physical self-perception, supporting the COR theory that physical activity acts as a resource investment. This mechanism is universal across genders in recreational settings. Interventions aiming to improve youth psychological well-being should not only promote physical activity but specifically focus on fostering positive physical self-perception and body image in inclusive, non-judgmental environments.