Open Access

ARTICLE

The Relationships among Exercise Participation, Self-Compassion and Academic Stress in Classroom Contexts: Based on Latent Profiles and Mediation Analyses

Guofeng Qu^1,2, Fengwei Jia^1,2, Jing Liu³, Xishuai Wang³, Guoyue Tang⁴, Zhonghu Gu⁵, Yuyang Nie^1,2,*, Cong Liu^1,2,*
1 College of Physical Education and Sport, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
2 College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
3 School of Physical Education and Sports Science, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
4 Xinjiang Urumqi No. 9 Middle School, Urumqi, China
5 Xinjiang Urumqi No. 12 Middle School, Urumqi, China
* Corresponding Author: Yuyang Nie. Email: ; Cong Liu. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.076017

Received 12 November 2025; Accepted 25 February 2026; Published online 14 May 2026

Abstract

Background: Physical exercise is recognized as an effective means of alleviating academic stress, and physical education (PE) classes constitute a primary source of such activity for middle school students. This study aimed to delve into the diversity of PE class participation patterns among these students, examine their relationship with academic stress, and specifically investigate the mediating role of self-compassion in this process. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 849 Chinese middle school students. Data were collected via online questionnaires using validated measurement instruments, which included the degree of participation in PE classes, academic stress, and the self-compassion scale. SPSS 27.0 was used to perform correlation and mediation analyses, and Mplus 8.3 was utilized for latent profile analysis (LPA). Results: The study identified four distinct patterns of participation: the avoidant group (13.31%), the moderate participation group (10.75%), the interest-driven group (29.71%), and the active participation group (46.23%). Additionally, compared to the “Avoidant group”, students in the other three groups showed significantly higher levels of self-compassion and reported significantly lower levels of academic stress. Specifically, the relative indirect effects for the Moderately Engaged group, Interest-Driven Engagers group, and Actively Engaged group were −0.060 (95% CI: [−0.180, 0.055]), −0.123 (95% CI: [−0.220, −0.021]), and −0.234 (95% CI: [−0.333, −0.137]), respectively. Conclusion: These results underscore the importance of PE participation patterns and highlight that optimizing PE class design to stimulate students’ intrinsic interest, thereby enhancing their engagement, represents an effective strategy for promoting the overall psychosocial well-being of middle school students.

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Keywords

Physical education class; sports participation; self-compassion; academic stress; adolescents

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