The Relationship between Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood and Behavioral Problems among Chinese Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Physical Activity and Self- Control

Emerging adulthood(EA)is a critical stage of life to develop and sustain a healthy lifestyle,which is also a time of vulnerability to poor physical and mental health outcomes.In this study,we conducted a path analysis(N=1326)to examine associations among four dimensions of EA,levels of regular physical activity(PA),self-control,MPA tendency and irrational procrastination.Results found:1)higher levels of PA predicted both MPA tendency(β=−0.08,95%CI:−0.11 to−0.06,p<0.001)and irrational procrastination(β=−0.01,95%CI:−0.17 to−0.008,p<0.01)indirectly via self-control;2)Instability(β=0.13,95%CI:0.08 to 0.18,p<0.01)and Responsibility(β=−0.06,95%CI:−0.10 to−0.08,p=0.03)exerted direct effects on irrational procrastination and Instability also indirectly predicted irrational procrastination via MPA tendency(β=0.03,95%CI:0.02 to 0.05,p<0.01).These findings proved that perceived features of EA are linked to behavioral problems and supported that regular PA plays a crucial role to protect mental health.

Relationships between Features of EmergingAdulthood, Situated Decisions toward PhysicalActivity, and Physical Activity among CollegeStudents: The Moderating Role of ExerciseIntensity Tolerance

A significant portion of emerging adults do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity (PA). Previous studies observedassociations between features of emerging adulthood and PA levels, while the potential psychological mechanisms that mightexplain this phenomenon are not fully understood. In this context, there is some evidence that situated decisions towardphysical activity (SDPA) and exercise-intensity tolerance might influence PA level. To provide empirical support for thisassumption, the current study investigated whether (i) features of emerging adulthood are linked to SDPA, which, in turn,might affect PA engagement;(ii) exercise-intensity tolerance moderate the relationship between SDPA and PA level;and (iii)SDPA is a mediator of the relationship between features of emerging adulthood and PA levels under the prerequisite thatexercise-intensity tolerance moderates the link between SDPA and PA engagement. In this study a group of 1,706 Chinesecollege students was recruited and asked to complete a set of questionnaires assessing their SDPA, PA levels, exercise-intensitytolerance, and features associated with emerging adulthood, namely Self-exploration, Instability, and Possibility. Our resultsindicated that SDPA positively predicted PA levels and this relationship became stronger when exercise-intensity tolerance wasused as a moderator. Furthermore, it was observed that individuals with a higher level of Instability and a lower level ofPossibility during emerging adulthood exhibited a lower level of SDPA. Taken together, the results of our study providefurther insights on a potential psychological mechanism linking features of emerging adulthood and physical activity.