The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and College Students' Interpersonal Trust: The Serial Mediating Effect of Social Support and Psychological Resilience

The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and College Students' Interpersonal Trust: The Serial Mediating Effect of Social Support and Psychological Resilience | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and College Students' Interpersonal Trust: The Serial Mediating Effect of Social Support and Psychological Resilience Hongbo Zhao, Yunzhu Wang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8943401/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Objective The present study sought to examine the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among a sample of college students, as well as the mediating roles of social support and psychological resilience in this relationship. Methods A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 526 college students from several universities in Liaoning Province, China, of whom 504 valid questionnaires were retained for final analysis after data screening. The data were collected using the following instruments: the Physical Activity Rating Scale, the Interpersonal Trust Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Psychological Resilience Scale. Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among variables and to test the proposed mediation model. Results The results demonstrated that: Results: (1) Physical exercise is positively correlated with college students’ interpersonal trust, and its direct predictive effect on interpersonal trust is weak but robust; (2) Physical exercise can positively predict social support and psychological resilience; (3) Social support can positively predict psychological resilience and college students’ interpersonal trust, and psychological resilience can also positively predict college students’ interpersonal trust; (4) Social support and psychological resilience play important mediating roles between physical exercise and college students’ interpersonal trust, with three mediating effect paths: physical exercise → social support → interpersonal trust; physical exercise → psychological resilience → interpersonal trust; physical exercise → social support → psychological resilience → interpersonal trust. Conclusions This study examined whether physical exercise was associated with interpersonal trust among college students. The results of the study support this hypothesis, with physical exercise demonstrating a weak but robust positive correlation with interpersonal trust among the sample of college students. The findings suggest that social support and psychological resilience independently mediate the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust and also operate as a serial mediation pathway between the two. Health sciences/Health care Biological sciences/Psychology Social science/Psychology physical exercise interpersonal trust social support psychological resilience Figures Figure 1 Background Interpersonal trust among college students is a significant indicator of their level of social development[ 1 ]. A high level of interpersonal trust has been demonstrated to contribute to the maintenance of harmonious and stable interpersonal relationships on campus[ 2 ]. In addition, such a high level of trust has also been demonstrated to facilitate students' ability to cope with interpersonal conflicts, social anxiety, and other challenges encountered in academic and daily life[ 3 ]. The Medium-and Long-Term Youth Development Plan (2016–2025), issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, states that young people should manage their relationships with others, with the collective, and with society properly. They should also strengthen their interpersonal relationships and cultivate sound psychological qualities and a strong moral character[ 4 ]. The China National Mental Health Development Report (2021–2022) reveals that university students are at a particularly high risk of depression, with poor interpersonal relationships being a key contributing factor to their mental health issues[ 5 ]. College students are at a developmental stage characterized by the gradual maturation of both physical and psychological functions. Concurrently, they encounter pressures related to academic performance, future employment, and interpersonal interaction. During this period, the developmental needs of individuals in terms of interpersonal relationships are often reflected in their pursuit of trust and intimacy[ 6 ]. It is therefore vital that adequate interpersonal support and positive social interaction are in place for college students. Trust, as the foundational and core element of interpersonal relationships, enables students to face future challenges and changes with greater confidence and adaptability[ 7 ]. However, in recent years, there has been a decline in the level of interpersonal trust among college students in China, with some students exhibiting heightened vigilance towards others and withdrawal from social interactions[ 8 ]. According to Bandura's social cognitive theory, cognitive factors, environmental factors and behavioral factors are dynamically interconnected and exert reciprocal influences on one another[ 9 ]. Physical exercise, defined as a form of behavior that integrates physical activity with social interaction, has the potential to exert a profound influence on college students' interpersonal cognition and behavior[ 10 ]. As demonstrated in extant research, there is a close association between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students[ 11 ]. This suggests that physical exercise may be associated with the formation and development of interpersonal trust beliefs[ 12 ]. Nevertheless, the mechanisms through which physical exercise influences interpersonal trust among college students remain insufficiently clear. From the perspective of ecological systems theory, individual development occurs within a series of nested and interacting environmental systems, including the microsystem, mesosystem, ecosystem, and macrosystem. These systems interact with the individual and collectively influence developmental outcomes[ 13 ]. As a fundamental behavioral carrier through which individuals interact with the mesosystem, physical exercise has been shown to activate social support resources from peers and teams, while also fostering psychological resilience through interactive experiences. The provision of social support and the enhancement of psychological resilience are key interrelated factors within the ecological system that promote the development of interpersonal trust. In accordance with this theoretical framework, the present study introduces social support and psychological resilience as mediating variables, with a view to examining their serial mediating roles in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among a sample of college students. The objective of this study is twofold: firstly, to elucidate the underlying psychological and social mechanisms through which physical exercise enhances interpersonal trust; and secondly, to provide theoretical and practical guidance for promoting social well-being among college students in higher education settings. Theoretical Basis and Hypotheses The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and College Students' Interpersonal Trust Physical exercise is defined as any bodily activity that is performed through various forms of physical training with the objective of enhancing physical fitness and enriching spiritual and cultural life. It is widely recognized as one of the most effective means of improving health status and physical quality[14]. Interpersonal trust can be defined as the extent to which an individual projects benevolent expectations and competence onto others who are deemed trustworthy[15]. Social identity theory posits that the process of social identification transitions from an individual psychological state to intergroup relations. This theory emphasizes how individuals categorize themselves into specific social groups through the fundamental psychological processes of categorization, identification, and comparison. Consequently, individuals acquire a sense of belonging and group identity[16]. Empirical studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students[17]. Participation in physical exercise is characterized by the active engagement of individuals in collective games and activities. This engagement gradually fosters the development of stable sport-related social networks with peers[18]. In accordance with the principles of social penetration theory, the deepening of interpersonal relationships is predicated on a gradual process of self-disclosure, which progresses from superficial to core levels. The rate of this process is constrained by temporal continuity and reciprocity. In this context, regular participation in physical exercise provides sustained interaction opportunities and reciprocal cooperation experiences, which are conducive to trust development[19]. It has been demonstrated by preceding research that participation in physical exercise has a beneficial effect on the establishment of trust among college student groups[20]. Moreover, individuals who frequently engage in physical exercise have been shown to exhibit higher levels of interpersonal trust than those who do not participate in exercise[21]. Based on the above theoretical and empirical evidence, the following hypothesis is proposed: Hypothesis H1: Physical exercise positively predicts interpersonal trust among college students. The Mediating Role of Social Support Social support is defined as objective and subjective assistance received from various sources, including family members, teachers, friends, and peers, in both online and offline environments[22]. The concept of person-context interaction theory is predicated on the notion that there exists an interactive relationship between individual characteristics and situational factors. When individuals perceive encouragement and support from teammates or coaches during physical exercise, the resulting positive emotional experiences may enhance their ability to cope with challenges and difficulties, strengthen team cohesion and cooperation, and directly facilitate the formation of positive interpersonal relationships[23]. The positive impact of physical exercise on group cohesion among college students has been well-documented. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that such activities provide a wealth of opportunities for interpersonal interaction. Through such interactions, individuals are able to perceive social support from multiple sources. Furthermore, the creation of sport contexts characterized by unity and mutual assistance has been demonstrated to increase college students' perceptions of external social support[24]. A considerable corpus of both domestic and international research has confirmed that physical exercise exerts a significant and positive influence on social support among college students[25]. It has been demonstrated that increased levels of physical exercise are associated with greater social support[26]. Concurrently, research has demonstrated that enhanced social support is correlated with increased initiative in interpersonal interactions[27]. The present study hypothesizes that physical exercise facilitates the establishment and development of positive interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, it is predicted that physical exercise may also further enhance interpersonal trust by increasing individuals' social support[28]. Based on this evidence, the following hypothesis is proposed: Hypothesis H2: Social support mediates the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students. The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience Psychological resilience is defined as an individual's capacity or trait that enables effective coping with stress, adversity, and trauma[29]. The theory of conservation of resources posits that, in situations of stress, individuals will protect, build, and accumulate resources in order to offset potential loss[30]. Empirical research has demonstrated that psychological resilience plays a significant role in the promotion of interpersonal trust among college students. It has been demonstrated that negative forms of psychological resilience may have a detrimental effect on the establishment of interpersonal trust. Conversely, higher levels of psychological resilience have been shown to facilitate the development of trust[31]. Consequently, psychological resilience exerts a substantial influence on interpersonal trust among college students[32]. Conversely, physical exercise has been extensively recognized as a pivotal conduit for fostering psychological development, exerting a considerable influence on the magnitude and nurturing of psychological resilience[33]. College students who participate more frequently and intensively in physical exercise tend to exhibit higher levels of positive psychological resilience[34], along with stronger willingness to establish interpersonal trust[35]. The findings of this study indicate that physical exercise, as a significant component of the psychological development of college students, exerts a considerable influence on psychological resilience in interpersonal contexts and, consequently, on interpersonal trust[36]. Based on this, this study proposes Hypothesis H3: Psychological resilience plays a mediating role in the effect of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal trust. The Serial Mediating Effect of Social Support and Psychological Resilience Social support can be defined as the contextualization of support within the domain of interpersonal interaction among college students. In the process of interpersonal trust formation, social support and psychological resilience have been shown to be interconnected[37]. Self-determination theory posits that the satisfaction of three fundamental psychological needs—competence, autonomy, and relatedness—is a core prerequisite for healthy psychological functioning. It is hypothesized that physical exercise may promote the acquisition of social support and the enhancement of psychological resilience by satisfying these fundamental needs[38]. Empirical studies have demonstrated that social support significantly and positively predicts psychological resilience[39]. The hypothesis that increased social support leads to the more effective fulfilment of developmental needs is one that merits further investigation. The results of such an investigation could provide a solid foundation for the promotion of resilient psychological traits. In such cases, individuals are more inclined to adopt active coping strategies when faced with difficulties. Conversely, college students exhibiting lower levels of psychological resilience are more prone to engage in maladaptive or passive coping strategies[40]. Consequently, social support has been demonstrated to be positively associated with psychological resilience, whereas a paucity of social support has been shown to be significantly negatively associated with resilience[41]. Based on this, this study proposes Hypothesis H4: Social support and psychological resilience play a serial mediating role in the effect on college students' interpersonal trust. Literature Review Through a systematic review of relevant research findings, existing studies have laid a solid theoretical and empirical foundation for this field. However, obvious deficiencies remain in terms of research objects, variable relationships, and contextual adaptability: (1) Existing studies exhibit a distinct grade bias in research object selection. (2) Although previous studies have confirmed pairwise correlations among core variables, there is a gap in the depth of understanding of the underlying variable relationships. (3) Existing research faces issues of theoretical generalization and ambiguous practical implications. In summary, this study introduces social support and psychological resilience as chain mediating variables to explore the influencing relationship and internal mechanism between physical exercise and interpersonal trust, constructing a chain mediation model for quantitative analysis of the four core variables. Building on previous theories and research, the hypothetical chain mediation model is illustrated in Figure 1. Methods Participants This study employed the convenience sampling method to conduct a questionnaire survey among 526 college students who met the eligibility criteria (aged 18-25 years old, full-time undergraduate students, capable of participating in physical activities normally, and without a history of physical disease or mental illness) from several universities in Liaoning Province, China. Questionnaires were distributed and collected online via Wenjuanxing (an online questionnaire platform), where college students from different majors across the first to fourth grades were invited to click the Wenjuanxing link to complete the survey and provide data. During the questionnaire collection process, a questionnaire was deemed invalid and excluded if it met any of the following criteria: (1) excessively short response time (less than 120 seconds); (2) monotonous and regular responses; (3) contradictory answers to reverse-scored items. Finally, 504 valid questionnaires were obtained, with an effective response rate of 95.82%. Among the participants, there were 263 males and 241 females. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Liaoning Normal University, and all participants have signed informed consent forms. The basic information of the research subjects selected in this study is shown in Table 1. Table 1. Basic information on survey respondents (N=504) Demographic Characteristics Category Frequency Percentage (%) Gender Male 263 52.2% Female 241 47.8% Household Registration Location Urban 259 51.4% Rural 245 48.6% Measures (1) Physical Activity Rating Scale The Physical Activity Rating Scale was translated and revised by Liang Deqing and colleagues[42]. The scale consists of three dimensions, each assessed by one item: exercise intensity (e.g., “How intense is your physical exercise?”), exercise duration (e.g., “How long do you usually engage in physical activity each time?”), and exercise frequency (e.g., “How many times do you engage in physical activity per month?”). A five-point Likert scoring method was used. Exercise intensity and frequency were scored from 1 to 5, while exercise duration was scored from 0 to 4. The total physical exercise score was calculated as the product of exercise intensity, frequency, and duration, with higher scores indicating greater levels of physical exercise. In the present study, the scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.789. (2) Interpersonal Trust Scale The Interpersonal Trust Scale was adapted by Wang Xiangdong and colleagues based on the Interpersonal Trust Scale originally developed by Rotter[43]. The scale comprises two dimensions: specific trust (e.g., "My friends are trustworthy") and general trust (e.g., "Most strangers can be trusted"). The items were evaluated using a five-point Likert scale. The reverse scoring system was applied using the following formula: transformed score = 6 – original score (i.e., 1→5, 2→4, 3→3, 4→2, 5→1). The total score was obtained by summing the transformed scores of all 25 items, with higher scores indicating higher levels of interpersonal trust. In this study, the Interpersonal Trust Scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.970. (3) Perceived Social Support Scale The Social Support Scale was introduced and revised for use in China by Jiang Qianjin, who based his revisions on the scale originally developed by Zimet[44]. The scale encompasses three dimensions: family support (e.g., "My family can provide me with concrete help"), friend support (e.g., "My friends can really help me"), and other support (e.g., "There are people who will be there for me when I encounter problems"). The data collection instrument employed was a seven-point Likert scale, with scores ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Conversely, elevated total and subscale scores are indicative of elevated levels of social support. In the present study, the scale demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.941. (4) Psychological Resilience Scale The Psychological Resilience Scale utilized in this study was translated and revised by Xiao Nan and Zhang Jianxin to align with the Chinese context[45]. The scale comprises three dimensions: tenacity, strength, and optimism. The items were evaluated using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always). Conversely, higher total scores have been demonstrated to be indicative of higher levels of psychological resilience. In this study, the scale demonstrated excellent reliability, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.968. Statistical Analysis All valid data were imported into SPSS version 27.0 for statistical analysis. In order to examine the relationships among the study variables, Pearson correlation analysis, regression analysis, and serial mediation analysis were conducted. Serial mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro with a bootstrap approach in order to test indirect effects. Specifically, Model 6 was selected, with physical exercise designated as the independent variable (X), social support as the first mediator (M1), psychological resilience as the second mediator (M2), and interpersonal trust as the dependent variable (Y). The study incorporated gender and geographical location as control variables. The number of bootstrap samples was set to 5,000, and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine the significance of mediation effects. Results Common Method Bias Test Given that the present study adopted a questionnaire survey to explore the relationships among variables, Harman’s single-factor test was conducted to eliminate such systematic errors. As shown in Table 2, the results indicated that there were 4 common factors with eigenvalues greater than 1. Before factor rotation, the maximum variance explained by a single factor was 31.254%, which was lower than the critical value of 40%. These findings demonstrate that common method bias was not a significant issue in this study. Table 2. Total Variance Explained Factor Number Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % 1 20.315 31.254 31.254 20.315 31.254 31.254 2 10.611 16.325 47.579 10.611 16.325 47.579 3 5.629 8.660 56.239 5.629 8.660 56.239 4 1.796 2.763 59.002 1.796 2.763 59.002 Descriptive Statistics and Correlation Analysis of Variables Table 3. Means, Standard Deviations, and Correlation Coefficients of Research Variables (n=504) Core Variables M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gender Household(1) 1.48 0.50 1 Registration Location(2) 1.49 0.50 0.025 1 Physical Exercise (3) 60.46 21.49 0.043 0.029 1 Interpersonal Trust (4) 93.11 21.49 0.067 0.017 0.257 ** 1 Social Support (5) 45.04 10.57 0.023 0.056 0.272 ** 0.333 ** 1 Psychological Resilience (6) 94.08 20.94 0.033 0.073 0.254 ** 0.264 ** 0.311 ** 1 Note: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001; Gender: 1 = Male, 2 = Female; Household Registration Location: 1 = Urban, 2 = Rural. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted using the mean scores of each variable. The results demonstrated that significant correlations existed among physical exercise, college students’ interpersonal trust, social support, and psychological resilience (Table 3). The results of this analysis laid a solid foundation for subsequent mediating effect tests, suggesting that social support and psychological resilience could play mediating roles in the relationship between physical exercise and college students’ interpersonal trust. Chain Mediating Effect Analysis of Social Support and Psychological Resilience This study employed Model 6 of the SPSS macro program Process (developed by Hayes) to conduct 5000 repeated samplings. In this model, physical exercise was designated as the independent variable and college students' interpersonal trust as the dependent variable. In contrast, social support and psychological resilience were identified as serial mediating variables, with the results of path coefficients presented in Figure 2. Table 4. Serial Mediation Model Regression Analysis Results Table Predictor Variable Interpersonal Trust Social Support Psychological Resilience Interpersonal Trust β SE t β SE t β SE t β SE t Gender 0.096 0.074 1.294 0.021 0.076 0.280 0.035 0.070 0.501 0.085 0.071 1.202 Household Registration Location 0.019 0.074 0.260 0.086 0.076 1.136 0.089 0.070 1.274 0.018 0.071 -0.255 Physical Exercise 0.020 0.003 5.879 *** 0.022 0.003 6.269 *** 0.014 0.003 4.185 *** 0.012 0.003 3.470 *** Social Support 0.245 0.041 5.964 *** 0.239 0.043 5.554 *** Psychological Resilience 0.152 0.045 3.373 *** R 0.263 0.276 0.362 0.403 R 2 0.069 0.076 0.131 0.163 F 12.380 13.777 18.812 19.328 Note: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001; Gender: 1 = Male, 2 = Female; Household Registration Location: 1 = Urban, 2 = Rural. Firstly, the findings of the multiple regression analysis are presented in Table 4. The results demonstrate that physical exercise exerts a weak but robust positive predictive effect on college students' interpersonal trust (β=0.020, p < 0.001). Following the incorporation of social support and psychological resilience into the regression equation, the predictive effect of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal trust remains weak but robust (β=0.012, p < 0.001). The findings of this study demonstrate a significant positive predictive effect of physical exercise on social support (β=0.022, p < 0.001) and psychological resilience (β=0.014, p < 0.001). Furthermore, social support was found to have a significant positive predictive effect on psychological resilience (β=0.245, p < 0.001) and on college students' interpersonal trust (β=0.239, p < 0.001). In addition, psychological resilience was found to have a significant positive predictive effect on college students' interpersonal trust (β=0.152, p < 0.001). Table 5. Bootstrap mediation effects and confidence intervals Effect Effect Size BootSE 95%CI Effect Ratio LLCI ULCI Total Effect 0.020 0.003 0.013 0.026 100% Direct Effect（X→Y） 0.012 0.003 0.005 0.018 60% Indirect Effect（Ind1+Ind2+Ind3） 0.008 0.002 0.005 0.012 40% Ind1：X→M1→Y 0.005 0.002 0.003 0.008 25% Ind2：X→M2→Y 0.002 0.001 0.001 0.004 10% Ind3：X→M1→M2→Y 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.003 5% Note: X：physical Exercise；Y：Interpersonal Trust；M1: Social Support；M2：Psychological Resilience. Secondly, the mediating effect test was conducted. The data presented in Table 5 demonstrated that social support and psychological resilience play mediating roles between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students, with a mediating effect value of 0.008, indicating the overall effect is weak but robust. The 95% confidence interval is [0.005, 0.012], which does not contain 0, suggesting that the mediating effect exists stably and accounts for 40% of the total effect of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal trust (0.020). The mediating effect includes three indirect effect paths: The indirect effect 1 via the path of “physical exercise → social support → interpersonal trust” is 0.005, whose 95% confidence interval does not contain 0, indicating that this indirect effect is weak but stable, accounting for 25% of the total effect of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal trust. The indirect effect 2 via the path of “physical exercise → psychological resilience → interpersonal trust” is 0.002, whose 95% confidence interval does not contain 0, indicating that this indirect effect is weak but stable, accounting for 10% of the total effect of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal trust. The indirect effect 3 via the path of “physical exercise → social support → psychological resilience → interpersonal trust” is 0.001, whose 95% confidence interval does not contain 0, indicating that this indirect effect is weak but stable, accounting for 5% of the total effect. Pairwise comparisons of the indirect effects across the three paths revealed significant differences in all comparisons. Discussion This study reveals the mediating role of social support and psychological resilience in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. From a theoretical perspective, it supplements research on the mechanisms that influence interpersonal trust among university students, clarifies the intrinsic connections among multiple variables and reinvigorates the theoretical framework of this field. In practice, it provides universities with robust theoretical support to encourage physical exercise among students. The study facilitates the guidance of students towards active participation in sporting activities, strengthening their acquisition of social support and the cultivation of psychological resilience. It offers effective pathways and methodological guidance for fostering interpersonal trust among university students. The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and Interpersonal Trust This study found a positive correlation between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students, suggesting that physical exercise is weakly but robustly associated with interpersonal trust among this group[ 46 ]. This validates Hypothesis H1 and aligns with the findings of previous relevant research[ 11 ][ 47 ]. Interpersonal trust levels are influenced by a combination of internal psychological factors, such as psychological resilience and social cognitive tendencies, and external environmental factors[ 48 ], including the frequency of social interactions and the acquisition of social support[ 49 ]. Within the social lives of university students, physical exercise is a key external factor affecting the development of interpersonal trust and an important predictor of increased trust levels[ 50 ]. Existing research has shown that physical exercise is weakly but robustly and positively associated with interpersonal trust among university students[ 51 ]. Physical exercise provides opportunities for social interaction where individuals can accumulate positive experiences during competitions and training. This reduces defensive attitudes in interpersonal interactions and gradually enhances recognition of and trust in others[ 52 ]. Concurrently, university students who consistently engage in physical exercise exhibit higher levels of interpersonal trust and more open social attitudes[ 53 ], as well as proactively expanding their social circles. This reinforces their perception of relationship stability and reliability[ 54 ]. Consequently, higher education institutions should prioritize the development of a variety of sports as a core strategy for promoting students' social development. By enriching the social aspects of physical exercise, universities can enhance students' interpersonal trust and promote the development of social skills. This finding further clarifies the logic by which physical exercise influences interpersonal trust, providing universities with practical guidance on how to promote it through sports curriculum reform and campus sports activity design. The Mediating Role of Social Support This study found that social support mediates the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. The greater the frequency and intensity of exercise participation, the richer the social support obtained, leading to higher levels of interpersonal trust. These findings validate Hypothesis H2 and align with those of other scholars[ 33 ][ 55 ]. Physical exercise is an integral part of university students' campus social lives, with sustained collaborative sporting activities fostering stable peer connections[ 56 ]. Concurrently, the social support gained through exercise, including emotional comfort, information sharing and practical assistance, transforms initial unfamiliarity in interpersonal interactions into closeness. Relatively ample social support encourages students to proactively socialize and build trusting relationships[ 57 ]. Research confirms that physical exercise positively predicts an individual's level of social support[ 58 ]. Participation in team sports such as basketball, football and tug-of-war provides university students with peer recognition and mutual support during teamwork and shared experiences of victory and defeat, thereby providing them with a rich source of social support[ 59 ]. Consequently, higher education institutions should promote a variety of team sports programs. By organizing campus sports leagues and recreational sports clubs, they can establish high-frequency, interactive platforms for athletic socialization. This facilitates the positive developmental pathway of physical exercise – social support – interpersonal trust. This finding clarifies the transmission pathway of social support and enriches research on the determinants of interpersonal trust. It also provides universities with practical solutions for strengthening students' social support networks and enhancing interpersonal trust through sporting activities. The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience This study found that psychological resilience acts as a mediator in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. Specifically, greater participation in and higher quality of physical exercise correlate with higher levels of psychological resilience among students, which fosters greater interpersonal trust. These findings validate Hypothesis H3 and align with those of other scholars[ 36 ][ 60 ]. Interactive scenarios and challenging contexts fostered by physical exercise are crucial for cultivating psychological resilience among university students, influencing its formation and development[ 61 ]. The positive experiences accumulated through sustained participation in physical exercise strengthen individuals' resilience to setbacks and their ability to adapt to others[ 62 ], thereby influencing the formation and maintenance of interpersonal trust[ 63 ]. The more actively university students engage in physical exercise, the more pronounced their resilient psychological traits become. They are better equipped to maintain an open mindset when facing uncertainties in interpersonal interactions and demonstrate greater initiative in building interpersonal trust[ 64 ]. Research confirms that psychological resilience is the key mediating pathway through which physical exercise influences interpersonal trust among university students. By enhancing psychological resilience levels[ 65 ], physical exercise enables individuals to more readily resolve interpersonal conflicts and accept differences in others, thereby consolidating interpersonal trust relationships and fostering the positive development of social skills[ 66 ]. Consequently, higher education institutions should recognize the importance of physical exercise in developing psychological resilience. By designing sports programs that balance challenge with collaboration, and by establishing sports psychology counselling platforms, universities can systematically strengthen students' psychological resilience, thereby laying a robust psychological foundation for building interpersonal trust and fostering healthy social development. This finding enhances our understanding of the mediating role of psychological resilience between physical exercise and interpersonal trust, providing universities with intervention pathways to integrate physical training with the development of psychological resilience and enhance students' interpersonal trust. The Serial Mediating Roles of Social Support and Psychological Resilience This study found that social support and psychological resilience have a mediating effect on the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. There is a significant positive correlation between social support and psychological resilience, with social support being a positive predictor of psychological resilience. This validates research hypothesis H4 and aligns with the findings of other scholars[ 39 ][ 67 ]. Students lacking social support tend to exhibit weakened psychological resilience when confronted with interpersonal conflicts or social challenges, which makes it difficult for them to establish stable interpersonal trust[ 68 ]. Conversely, adequate social support is crucial for cultivating psychological resilience and motivates students to proactively build and maintain interpersonal trust relationships[ 69 ]. It reduces defensive attitudes and anxiety about frustration in interpersonal interactions, enabling students to develop more positive thoughts when facing social challenges. This, in turn, strengthens resilience traits such as distress tolerance, adaptability and tolerance[ 70 ]. Enhanced psychological resilience further breaks down psychological barriers to establishing interpersonal trust, making students more willing to open up and accept others in social contexts[ 71 ]. Research confirms that social support among university students positively predicts psychological resilience levels[ 72 ], with positive social support showing a significant positive correlation with psychological resilience and social support deprivation showing a significant negative correlation[ 73 ]. Consequently, higher education institutions should prioritize strengthening their social support systems for students. Creating sports-based social platforms can empower students to navigate social challenges with greater psychological resilience. This finding extends the chain-mediation research framework by linking physical exercise and interpersonal trust. It provides the theoretical basis and practical guidance needed to develop campus socialization programs that integrate the provision of social support, the cultivation of psychological resilience, and the promotion of physical activity. Limitations and Prospects The present study investigated the relationship between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust. In terms of theory, it serves to expand the research field on the relationship between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust, to clarify the serial mediating role of social support and psychological resilience in this relationship, and to provide a new perspective for in-depth understanding of the influencing factors of college students' interpersonal trust. The findings of this study provide a practical framework for enhancing college students' interpersonal trust levels and fostering their social health development. It is imperative that educational institutions and wider society ascribe significant value to the beneficial impact of physical exercise in cultivating favorable social attributes among university students. To this end, the formulation of supportive policies, the orchestration of a diverse array of collective sporting activities, and the establishment of a conducive environment for active engagement in physical exercise are paramount. The efficacy with which these objectives are realized will serve to enhance the level and quality of physical exercise undertaken by university students. Nevertheless, it is important to note that this study is not without its limitations. Firstly, the researchers adopted a questionnaire survey method, with data based on college students' self-reports, which may lead to certain subjective biases. It is recommended that future studies combine objective measurement methods. These may include the following: the recording of trust decisions made by college students through interpersonal interaction behavior experiments; and the tracking of the actual situation of physical exercise using sports APP data. Secondly, the present study adopts a cross-sectional research design. Subsequent research can employ longitudinal study or experimental research designs to further verify the causal relationships among physical exercise, interpersonal trust, social support, and psychological resilience. This study is at its core an exploration of the serial mediating role of social support and psychological resilience between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust. It is important to note, however, that there may be other moderating or mediating variables at play, including, but not limited to, personality traits and family parenting styles. Consequently, subsequent studies will encompass numerous variables to methodically explore the interaction mechanisms among variables, with the objective of more accurately elucidating the influence path of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal trust. Conclusions (1) Physical exercise, college students' interpersonal trust, social support and psychological resilience are correlated with each other. (2) Physical exercise positively predicts college students' interpersonal trust, and it also positively predicts social support and psychological resilience. Social support positively predicts psychological resilience and college students' interpersonal trust; psychological resilience positively predicts college students' interpersonal trust. (3) Social support and psychological resilience play separate mediating roles between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust. (4) Social support and psychological resilience play a serial mediating role between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust. Declarations Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank 504 college students, for agreeing to participate in the study. Compliance statement During the implementation of this study, it strictly adheres to the International Ethical Guidelines for Health—related Research Involving Human Subjects issued by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) and relevant Chinese scientific research ethics management measures and regulations. All aspects, such as the design of research methods and the collection and use of data, prioritize the protection of the rights, safety, and well—being of participants, ensuring that the research is carried out within a legal and compliant framework. Data availability The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation. If anyone would like to request data from this study, please contact the corresponding author, [email protected] . Authors’ contributions H-B Z conceived and supervised the study. Y-Z W collected and analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. Both authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. H-B Z is responsible for conceiving, writing, reviewing, editing the first draft and obtaining funds. Y-Z W is responsible for conceiving, writing, reviewing and editing the draft. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate The design of this study followed the guidelines and regulations of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by Ethics Committee of Liaoning Normal University (LL2025384), and all participants signed an informed consent form and were paid for their participation. Informed consent Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants and their parents (or legal guardian) prior to this study. References Cai, L. W. (2020). A social psychological analysis of college students' interpersonal trust crisis. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8943401","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":623477998,"identity":"052c8b40-eb1b-4d5b-8846-29771baed51d","order_by":0,"name":"Hongbo Zhao","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAyBmZmCQ4OFnbz5w4MMP4rVYyEj2HEs8OLOHeC0VNgY3cowPc7ARocWcvffw64IKCR6GM2c+HGbgYZDnFzuAX4tlz7k06xlnJHgY23s3HC6wYDCcOTuBgMNu5JgZ87ZJ8DDznN1weAYPQ4LBbWK1sEnkPDjMw0acFuPHIC08EjkMRGo5c8aMGeQXCZ5jBsBAliDCL8d7jD8XVNTZ2x9vfvzhww8beX5pAlqAgE0CiSOBUxkyYP5AlLJRMApGwSgYuQAALXJE6YZ0yTkAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Liaoning Normal University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hongbo","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhao","suffix":""},{"id":623477999,"identity":"d3799728-0913-43bc-8211-623b7a99b282","order_by":1,"name":"Yunzhu Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Liaoning Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yunzhu","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-23 06:08:21","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8943401/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8943401/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107184324,"identity":"0f6262f6-dbf8-4468-9b79-5bd02df52297","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-17 18:25:12","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":97291,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eChained intermediary hypothetical model\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8943401/v1/4caa0f0416933a3b9b82b45b.png"},{"id":108491019,"identity":"9291a4e6-9dc8-40b6-9cdd-51c2922f5b93","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-05 09:51:15","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":509987,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8943401/v1/687e3ad9-2892-4840-968c-6e94d3109fea.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and College Students' Interpersonal Trust: The Serial Mediating Effect of Social Support and Psychological Resilience","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eInterpersonal trust among college students is a significant indicator of their level of social development[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. A high level of interpersonal trust has been demonstrated to contribute to the maintenance of harmonious and stable interpersonal relationships on campus[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, such a high level of trust has also been demonstrated to facilitate students' ability to cope with interpersonal conflicts, social anxiety, and other challenges encountered in academic and daily life[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. The Medium-and Long-Term Youth Development Plan (2016\u0026ndash;2025), issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, states that young people should manage their relationships with others, with the collective, and with society properly. They should also strengthen their interpersonal relationships and cultivate sound psychological qualities and a strong moral character[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. The China National Mental Health Development Report (2021\u0026ndash;2022) reveals that university students are at a particularly high risk of depression, with poor interpersonal relationships being a key contributing factor to their mental health issues[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. College students are at a developmental stage characterized by the gradual maturation of both physical and psychological functions. Concurrently, they encounter pressures related to academic performance, future employment, and interpersonal interaction. During this period, the developmental needs of individuals in terms of interpersonal relationships are often reflected in their pursuit of trust and intimacy[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. It is therefore vital that adequate interpersonal support and positive social interaction are in place for college students. Trust, as the foundational and core element of interpersonal relationships, enables students to face future challenges and changes with greater confidence and adaptability[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. However, in recent years, there has been a decline in the level of interpersonal trust among college students in China, with some students exhibiting heightened vigilance towards others and withdrawal from social interactions[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. According to Bandura's social cognitive theory, cognitive factors, environmental factors and behavioral factors are dynamically interconnected and exert reciprocal influences on one another[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Physical exercise, defined as a form of behavior that integrates physical activity with social interaction, has the potential to exert a profound influence on college students' interpersonal cognition and behavior[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. As demonstrated in extant research, there is a close association between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. This suggests that physical exercise may be associated with the formation and development of interpersonal trust beliefs[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Nevertheless, the mechanisms through which physical exercise influences interpersonal trust among college students remain insufficiently clear. From the perspective of ecological systems theory, individual development occurs within a series of nested and interacting environmental systems, including the microsystem, mesosystem, ecosystem, and macrosystem. These systems interact with the individual and collectively influence developmental outcomes[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. As a fundamental behavioral carrier through which individuals interact with the mesosystem, physical exercise has been shown to activate social support resources from peers and teams, while also fostering psychological resilience through interactive experiences. The provision of social support and the enhancement of psychological resilience are key interrelated factors within the ecological system that promote the development of interpersonal trust. In accordance with this theoretical framework, the present study introduces social support and psychological resilience as mediating variables, with a view to examining their serial mediating roles in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among a sample of college students. The objective of this study is twofold: firstly, to elucidate the underlying psychological and social mechanisms through which physical exercise enhances interpersonal trust; and secondly, to provide theoretical and practical guidance for promoting social well-being among college students in higher education settings.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Theoretical Basis and Hypotheses","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Relationship Between Physical Exercise and College Students\u0026apos; Interpersonal Trust\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhysical exercise is defined as any bodily activity that is performed through various forms of physical training with the objective of enhancing physical fitness and enriching spiritual and cultural life. It is widely recognized as one of the most effective means of improving health status and physical quality[14]. Interpersonal trust can be defined as the extent to which an individual projects benevolent expectations and competence onto others who are deemed trustworthy[15]. Social identity theory posits that the process of social identification transitions from an individual psychological state to intergroup relations. This theory emphasizes how individuals categorize themselves into specific social groups through the fundamental psychological processes of categorization, identification, and comparison. Consequently, individuals acquire a sense of belonging and group identity[16]. Empirical studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students[17]. Participation in physical exercise is characterized by the active engagement of individuals in collective games and activities. This engagement gradually fosters the development of stable sport-related social networks with peers[18]. In accordance with the principles of social penetration theory, the deepening of interpersonal relationships is predicated on a gradual process of self-disclosure, which progresses from superficial to core levels. The rate of this process is constrained by temporal continuity and reciprocity. In this context, regular participation in physical exercise provides sustained interaction opportunities and reciprocal cooperation experiences, which are conducive to trust development[19]. It has been demonstrated by preceding research that participation in physical exercise has a beneficial effect on the establishment of trust among college student groups[20]. Moreover, individuals who frequently engage in physical exercise have been shown to exhibit higher levels of interpersonal trust than those who do not participate in exercise[21].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBased on the above theoretical and empirical evidence, the following hypothesis is proposed: Hypothesis H1: Physical exercise positively predicts interpersonal trust among college students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Mediating Role of Social Support\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSocial support is defined as objective and subjective assistance received from various sources, including family members, teachers, friends, and peers, in both online and offline environments[22]. The concept of person-context interaction theory is predicated on the notion that there exists an interactive relationship between individual characteristics and situational factors. When individuals perceive encouragement and support from teammates or coaches during physical exercise, the resulting positive emotional experiences may enhance their ability to cope with challenges and difficulties, strengthen team cohesion and cooperation, and directly facilitate the formation of positive interpersonal relationships[23]. The positive impact of physical exercise on group cohesion among college students has been well-documented. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that such activities provide a wealth of opportunities for interpersonal interaction. Through such interactions, individuals are able to perceive social support from multiple sources. Furthermore, the creation of sport contexts characterized by unity and mutual assistance has been demonstrated to increase college students\u0026apos; perceptions of external social support[24]. A considerable corpus of both domestic and international research has confirmed that physical exercise exerts a significant and positive influence on social support among college students[25]. It has been demonstrated that increased levels of physical exercise are associated with greater social support[26]. Concurrently, research has demonstrated that enhanced social support is correlated with increased initiative in interpersonal interactions[27]. The present study hypothesizes that physical exercise facilitates the establishment and development of positive interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, it is predicted that physical exercise may also further enhance interpersonal trust by increasing individuals\u0026apos; social support[28].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBased on this evidence, the following hypothesis is proposed: Hypothesis H2: Social support mediates the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePsychological resilience is defined as an individual\u0026apos;s capacity or trait that enables effective coping with stress, adversity, and trauma[29]. The theory of conservation of resources posits that, in situations of stress, individuals will protect, build, and accumulate resources in order to offset potential loss[30]. Empirical research has demonstrated that psychological resilience plays a significant role in the promotion of interpersonal trust among college students. It has been demonstrated that negative forms of psychological resilience may have a detrimental effect on the establishment of interpersonal trust. Conversely, higher levels of psychological resilience have been shown to facilitate the development of trust[31]. Consequently, psychological resilience exerts a substantial influence on interpersonal trust among college students[32]. Conversely, physical exercise has been extensively recognized as a pivotal conduit for fostering psychological development, exerting a considerable influence on the magnitude and nurturing of psychological resilience[33]. College students who participate more frequently and intensively in physical exercise tend to exhibit higher levels of positive psychological resilience[34], along with stronger willingness to establish interpersonal trust[35]. The findings of this study indicate that physical exercise, as a significant component of the psychological development of college students, exerts a considerable influence on psychological resilience in interpersonal contexts and, consequently, on interpersonal trust[36].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBased on this, this study proposes Hypothesis H3: Psychological resilience plays a mediating role in the effect of physical exercise on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Serial Mediating Effect of Social Support and Psychological Resilience\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSocial support can be defined as the contextualization of support within the domain of interpersonal interaction among college students. In the process of interpersonal trust formation, social support and psychological resilience have been shown to be interconnected[37]. Self-determination theory posits that the satisfaction of three fundamental psychological needs\u0026mdash;competence, autonomy, and relatedness\u0026mdash;is a core prerequisite for healthy psychological functioning. It is hypothesized that physical exercise may promote the acquisition of social support and the enhancement of psychological resilience by satisfying these fundamental needs[38]. Empirical studies have demonstrated that social support significantly and positively predicts psychological resilience[39]. The hypothesis that increased social support leads to the more effective fulfilment of developmental needs is one that merits further investigation. The results of such an investigation could provide a solid foundation for the promotion of resilient psychological traits. In such cases, individuals are more inclined to adopt active coping strategies when faced with difficulties. Conversely, college students exhibiting lower levels of psychological resilience are more prone to engage in maladaptive or passive coping strategies[40]. Consequently, social support has been demonstrated to be positively associated with psychological resilience, whereas a paucity of social support has been shown to be significantly negatively associated with resilience[41].\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBased on this, this study proposes Hypothesis H4: Social support and psychological resilience play a serial mediating role in the effect on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLiterature Review\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough a systematic review of relevant research findings, existing studies have laid a solid theoretical and empirical foundation for this field. However, obvious deficiencies remain in terms of research objects, variable relationships, and contextual adaptability: (1) Existing studies exhibit a distinct grade bias in research object selection. (2) Although previous studies have confirmed pairwise correlations among core variables, there is a gap in the depth of understanding of the underlying variable relationships. (3) Existing research faces issues of theoretical generalization and ambiguous practical implications. In summary, this study introduces social support and psychological resilience as chain mediating variables to explore the influencing relationship and internal mechanism between physical exercise and interpersonal trust, constructing a chain mediation model for quantitative analysis of the four core variables. Building on previous theories and research, the hypothetical chain mediation model is illustrated in Figure 1.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParticipants\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study employed the convenience sampling method to conduct a questionnaire survey among 526 college students who met the eligibility criteria (aged 18-25 years old, full-time undergraduate students, capable of participating in physical activities normally, and without a history of physical disease or mental illness) from several universities in Liaoning Province, China. Questionnaires were distributed and collected online via Wenjuanxing (an online questionnaire platform), where college students from different majors across the first to fourth grades were invited to click the Wenjuanxing link to complete the survey and provide data. During the questionnaire collection process, a questionnaire was deemed invalid and excluded if it met any of the following criteria: (1) excessively short response time (less than 120 seconds); (2) monotonous and regular responses; (3) contradictory answers to reverse-scored items. Finally, 504 valid questionnaires were obtained, with an effective response rate of 95.82%. Among the participants, there were 263 males and 241 females. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Liaoning Normal University, and all participants have signed informed consent forms. The basic information of the research subjects selected in this study is shown in Table 1.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1.\u003c/strong\u003e Basic information on survey respondents (N=504)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"631\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 174px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDemographic Characteristics\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 297px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCategory\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 50px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 174px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 297px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 50px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e263\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e52.2%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 297px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 50px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e241\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.8%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 174px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHousehold Registration Location\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 297px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUrban\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 50px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e259\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51.4%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 297px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRural\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 50px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e245\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48.6%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeasures\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(1) Physical Activity Rating Scale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Physical Activity Rating Scale was translated and revised by Liang Deqing and colleagues[42]. The scale consists of three dimensions, each assessed by one item: exercise intensity (e.g., \u0026ldquo;How intense is your physical exercise?\u0026rdquo;), exercise duration (e.g., \u0026ldquo;How long do you usually engage in physical activity each time?\u0026rdquo;), and exercise frequency (e.g., \u0026ldquo;How many times do you engage in physical activity per month?\u0026rdquo;). A five-point Likert scoring method was used. Exercise intensity and frequency were scored from 1 to 5, while exercise duration was scored from 0 to 4. The total physical exercise score was calculated as the product of exercise intensity, frequency, and duration, with higher scores indicating greater levels of physical exercise. In the present study, the scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with a Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha coefficient of 0.789.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(2) Interpersonal Trust Scale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Interpersonal Trust Scale was adapted by Wang Xiangdong and colleagues based on the Interpersonal Trust Scale originally developed by Rotter[43]. The scale comprises two dimensions: specific trust (e.g., \u0026quot;My friends are trustworthy\u0026quot;) and general trust (e.g., \u0026quot;Most strangers can be trusted\u0026quot;). The items were evaluated using a five-point Likert scale. The reverse scoring system was applied using the following formula: transformed score = 6 \u0026ndash; original score (i.e., 1\u0026rarr;5, 2\u0026rarr;4, 3\u0026rarr;3, 4\u0026rarr;2, 5\u0026rarr;1). The total score was obtained by summing the transformed scores of all 25 items, with higher scores indicating higher levels of interpersonal trust. In this study, the Interpersonal Trust Scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach\u0026apos;s alpha coefficient of 0.970.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(3) Perceived Social Support Scale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Social Support Scale was introduced and revised for use in China by Jiang Qianjin, who based his revisions on the scale originally developed by Zimet[44]. The scale encompasses three dimensions: family support (e.g., \u0026quot;My family can provide me with concrete help\u0026quot;), friend support (e.g., \u0026quot;My friends can really help me\u0026quot;), and other support (e.g., \u0026quot;There are people who will be there for me when I encounter problems\u0026quot;). The data collection instrument employed was a seven-point Likert scale, with scores ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Conversely, elevated total and subscale scores are indicative of elevated levels of social support. In the present study, the scale demonstrated high internal consistency, with a Cronbach\u0026apos;s alpha coefficient of 0.941.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(4) Psychological Resilience Scale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Psychological Resilience Scale utilized in this study was translated and revised by Xiao Nan and Zhang Jianxin to align with the Chinese context[45]. The scale comprises three dimensions: tenacity, strength, and optimism. The items were evaluated using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always). Conversely, higher total scores have been demonstrated to be indicative of higher levels of psychological resilience. In this study, the scale demonstrated excellent reliability, with a Cronbach\u0026apos;s alpha coefficient of 0.968.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStatistical Analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll valid data were imported into SPSS version 27.0 for statistical analysis. In order to examine the relationships among the study variables, Pearson correlation analysis, regression analysis, and serial mediation analysis were conducted. Serial mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro with a bootstrap approach in order to test indirect effects. Specifically, Model 6 was selected, with physical exercise designated as the independent variable (X), social support as the first mediator (M1), psychological resilience as the second mediator (M2), and interpersonal trust as the dependent variable (Y). The study incorporated gender and geographical location as control variables. The number of bootstrap samples was set to 5,000, and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine the significance of mediation effects.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCommon Method Bias Test\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGiven that the present study adopted a questionnaire survey to explore the relationships among variables, Harman\u0026rsquo;s single-factor test was conducted to eliminate such systematic errors. As shown in Table 2, the results indicated that there were 4 common factors with eigenvalues greater than 1. Before factor rotation, the maximum variance explained by a single factor was 31.254%, which was lower than the critical value of 40%. These findings demonstrate that common method bias was not a significant issue in this study.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2.\u003c/strong\u003e Total Variance Explained\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"584\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFactor Number\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 257px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInitial Eigenvalues\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 251px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExtraction Sums of Squared Loadings\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e% of Variance\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCumulative %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e% of Variance\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCumulative %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.315\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.254\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.254\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.315\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.254\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.254\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.611\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.325\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.579\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.611\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.325\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.579\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.629\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.660\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56.239\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.629\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.660\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56.239\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 59px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.796\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.763\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.002\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.796\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.763\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.002\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescriptive Statistics and Correlation Analysis of Variables\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eMeans, Standard Deviations, and Correlation Coefficients of Research Variables (n=504)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"97%\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCore Variables\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 8px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSD\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 9px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGender Household(1)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRegistration Location(2)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.025\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePhysical Exercise\u0026nbsp;(3)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.043\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.029\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInterpersonal Trust (4)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e93.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.067\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.017\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.257\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSocial Support (5)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.023\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.056\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.272\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.333\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePsychological Resilience (6)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e94.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.94\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.033\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.073\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.254\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.264\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.311\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: * p \u0026lt; 0.05, ** p \u0026lt; 0.01, *** p \u0026lt; 0.001; Gender: 1 = Male, 2 = Female; Household Registration Location: 1 = Urban, 2 = Rural.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePearson correlation analysis was conducted using the mean scores of each variable. The results demonstrated that significant correlations existed among physical exercise, college students\u0026rsquo; interpersonal trust, social support, and psychological resilience (Table 3). The results of this analysis laid a solid foundation for subsequent mediating effect tests, suggesting that social support and psychological resilience could play mediating roles in the relationship between physical exercise and college students\u0026rsquo; interpersonal trust.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChain Mediating Effect Analysis of Social Support and Psychological Resilience\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study employed Model 6 of the SPSS macro program Process (developed by Hayes) to conduct 5000 repeated samplings. In this model, physical exercise was designated as the independent variable and college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust as the dependent variable. In contrast, social support and psychological resilience were identified as serial mediating variables, with the results of path coefficients presented in Figure 2.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eSerial Mediation Model Regression Analysis Results Table\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" align=\"\" width=\"763\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePredictor\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 183px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInterpersonal Trust\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSocial Support\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 162px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePsychological Resilience\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInterpersonal Trust\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.096\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.074\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.294\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.021\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.076\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.280\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.070\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.501\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.085\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.071\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.202\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHousehold Registration Location\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.019\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.074\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.260\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.086\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.076\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.136\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.089\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.070\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.274\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.018\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.071\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.255\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePhysical Exercise\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.020\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.879\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.022\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.269\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.014\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.185\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.470\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSocial Support\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 183px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.245\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.041\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.964\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.239\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.043\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.554\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePsychological Resilience\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 183px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.152\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.045\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.373\u003csup\u003e***\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 183px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.263\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.276\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 162px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.362\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.403\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 183px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.069\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.076\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 162px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.131\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.163\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eF\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 183px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.380\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.777\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 162px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.812\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 167px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.328\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: * p \u0026lt; 0.05, ** p \u0026lt; 0.01, *** p \u0026lt; 0.001; Gender: 1 = Male, 2 = Female; Household Registration Location: 1 = Urban, 2 = Rural.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirstly, the findings of the multiple regression analysis are presented in Table 4. The results demonstrate that physical exercise exerts a weak but robust positive predictive effect on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust (\u0026beta;=0.020, p \u0026lt; 0.001). Following the incorporation of social support and psychological resilience into the regression equation, the predictive effect of physical exercise on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust remains weak but robust (\u0026beta;=0.012, p \u0026lt; 0.001). The findings of this study demonstrate a significant positive predictive effect of physical exercise on social support (\u0026beta;=0.022, p \u0026lt; 0.001) and psychological resilience (\u0026beta;=0.014, p \u0026lt; 0.001). Furthermore, social support was found to have a significant positive predictive effect on psychological resilience (\u0026beta;=0.245, p \u0026lt; 0.001) and on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust (\u0026beta;=0.239, p \u0026lt; 0.001). In addition, psychological resilience was found to have a significant positive predictive effect on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust (\u0026beta;=0.152, p \u0026lt; 0.001).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 5.\u003c/strong\u003e Bootstrap mediation effects and confidence intervals\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"555\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 209px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEffect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEffect Size\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBootSE\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95%CI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEffect Ratio\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLLCI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eULCI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 209px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal Effect\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.020\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.013\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.026\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 209px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDirect Effect（X\u0026rarr;Y）\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.018\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 209px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIndirect Effect（Ind1+Ind2+Ind3）\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.008\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 209px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInd1：X\u0026rarr;M1\u0026rarr;Y\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.008\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e25%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 209px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInd2：X\u0026rarr;M2\u0026rarr;Y\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 209px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eInd3：X\u0026rarr;M1\u0026rarr;M2\u0026rarr;Y\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: X：physical Exercise；Y：Interpersonal Trust；M1: Social Support；M2：Psychological Resilience.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSecondly, the mediating effect test was conducted. The data presented in Table 5 demonstrated that social support and psychological resilience play mediating roles between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among college students, with a mediating effect value of 0.008, indicating the overall effect is weak but robust. The 95% confidence interval is [0.005, 0.012], which does not contain 0, suggesting that the mediating effect exists stably and accounts for 40% of the total effect of physical exercise on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust (0.020). The mediating effect includes three indirect effect paths: The indirect effect 1 via the path of \u0026ldquo;physical exercise \u0026rarr; social support \u0026rarr; interpersonal trust\u0026rdquo; is 0.005, whose 95% confidence interval does not contain 0, indicating that this indirect effect is weak but stable, accounting for 25% of the total effect of physical exercise on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust. The indirect effect 2 via the path of \u0026ldquo;physical exercise \u0026rarr; psychological resilience \u0026rarr; interpersonal trust\u0026rdquo; is 0.002, whose 95% confidence interval does not contain 0, indicating that this indirect effect is weak but stable, accounting for 10% of the total effect of physical exercise on college students\u0026apos; interpersonal trust. The indirect effect 3 via the path of \u0026ldquo;physical exercise \u0026rarr; social support \u0026rarr; psychological resilience \u0026rarr; interpersonal trust\u0026rdquo; is 0.001, whose 95% confidence interval does not contain 0, indicating that this indirect effect is weak but stable, accounting for 5% of the total effect. Pairwise comparisons of the indirect effects across the three paths revealed significant differences in all comparisons.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study reveals the mediating role of social support and psychological resilience in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. From a theoretical perspective, it supplements research on the mechanisms that influence interpersonal trust among university students, clarifies the intrinsic connections among multiple variables and reinvigorates the theoretical framework of this field. In practice, it provides universities with robust theoretical support to encourage physical exercise among students. The study facilitates the guidance of students towards active participation in sporting activities, strengthening their acquisition of social support and the cultivation of psychological resilience. It offers effective pathways and methodological guidance for fostering interpersonal trust among university students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe Relationship Between Physical Exercise and Interpersonal Trust\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study found a positive correlation between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students, suggesting that physical exercise is weakly but robustly associated with interpersonal trust among this group[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. This validates Hypothesis H1 and aligns with the findings of previous relevant research[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e]. Interpersonal trust levels are influenced by a combination of internal psychological factors, such as psychological resilience and social cognitive tendencies, and external environmental factors[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e], including the frequency of social interactions and the acquisition of social support[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e]. Within the social lives of university students, physical exercise is a key external factor affecting the development of interpersonal trust and an important predictor of increased trust levels[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e]. Existing research has shown that physical exercise is weakly but robustly and positively associated with interpersonal trust among university students[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e]. Physical exercise provides opportunities for social interaction where individuals can accumulate positive experiences during competitions and training. This reduces defensive attitudes in interpersonal interactions and gradually enhances recognition of and trust in others[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e]. Concurrently, university students who consistently engage in physical exercise exhibit higher levels of interpersonal trust and more open social attitudes[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e], as well as proactively expanding their social circles. This reinforces their perception of relationship stability and reliability[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e]. Consequently, higher education institutions should prioritize the development of a variety of sports as a core strategy for promoting students' social development. By enriching the social aspects of physical exercise, universities can enhance students' interpersonal trust and promote the development of social skills. This finding further clarifies the logic by which physical exercise influences interpersonal trust, providing universities with practical guidance on how to promote it through sports curriculum reform and campus sports activity design.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe Mediating Role of Social Support\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study found that social support mediates the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. The greater the frequency and intensity of exercise participation, the richer the social support obtained, leading to higher levels of interpersonal trust. These findings validate Hypothesis H2 and align with those of other scholars[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e]. Physical exercise is an integral part of university students' campus social lives, with sustained collaborative sporting activities fostering stable peer connections[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e]. Concurrently, the social support gained through exercise, including emotional comfort, information sharing and practical assistance, transforms initial unfamiliarity in interpersonal interactions into closeness. Relatively ample social support encourages students to proactively socialize and build trusting relationships[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e]. Research confirms that physical exercise positively predicts an individual's level of social support[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e]. Participation in team sports such as basketball, football and tug-of-war provides university students with peer recognition and mutual support during teamwork and shared experiences of victory and defeat, thereby providing them with a rich source of social support[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e]. Consequently, higher education institutions should promote a variety of team sports programs. By organizing campus sports leagues and recreational sports clubs, they can establish high-frequency, interactive platforms for athletic socialization. This facilitates the positive developmental pathway of physical exercise \u0026ndash; social support \u0026ndash; interpersonal trust. This finding clarifies the transmission pathway of social support and enriches research on the determinants of interpersonal trust. It also provides universities with practical solutions for strengthening students' social support networks and enhancing interpersonal trust through sporting activities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study found that psychological resilience acts as a mediator in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. Specifically, greater participation in and higher quality of physical exercise correlate with higher levels of psychological resilience among students, which fosters greater interpersonal trust. These findings validate Hypothesis H3 and align with those of other scholars[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e60\u003c/span\u003e]. Interactive scenarios and challenging contexts fostered by physical exercise are crucial for cultivating psychological resilience among university students, influencing its formation and development[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e61\u003c/span\u003e]. The positive experiences accumulated through sustained participation in physical exercise strengthen individuals' resilience to setbacks and their ability to adapt to others[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e62\u003c/span\u003e], thereby influencing the formation and maintenance of interpersonal trust[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e]. The more actively university students engage in physical exercise, the more pronounced their resilient psychological traits become. They are better equipped to maintain an open mindset when facing uncertainties in interpersonal interactions and demonstrate greater initiative in building interpersonal trust[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e64\u003c/span\u003e]. Research confirms that psychological resilience is the key mediating pathway through which physical exercise influences interpersonal trust among university students. By enhancing psychological resilience levels[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e65\u003c/span\u003e], physical exercise enables individuals to more readily resolve interpersonal conflicts and accept differences in others, thereby consolidating interpersonal trust relationships and fostering the positive development of social skills[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e66\u003c/span\u003e]. Consequently, higher education institutions should recognize the importance of physical exercise in developing psychological resilience. By designing sports programs that balance challenge with collaboration, and by establishing sports psychology counselling platforms, universities can systematically strengthen students' psychological resilience, thereby laying a robust psychological foundation for building interpersonal trust and fostering healthy social development. This finding enhances our understanding of the mediating role of psychological resilience between physical exercise and interpersonal trust, providing universities with intervention pathways to integrate physical training with the development of psychological resilience and enhance students' interpersonal trust.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe Serial Mediating Roles of Social Support and Psychological Resilience\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study found that social support and psychological resilience have a mediating effect on the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among university students. There is a significant positive correlation between social support and psychological resilience, with social support being a positive predictor of psychological resilience. This validates research hypothesis H4 and aligns with the findings of other scholars[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e][\u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e67\u003c/span\u003e]. Students lacking social support tend to exhibit weakened psychological resilience when confronted with interpersonal conflicts or social challenges, which makes it difficult for them to establish stable interpersonal trust[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR68\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e68\u003c/span\u003e]. Conversely, adequate social support is crucial for cultivating psychological resilience and motivates students to proactively build and maintain interpersonal trust relationships[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e69\u003c/span\u003e]. It reduces defensive attitudes and anxiety about frustration in interpersonal interactions, enabling students to develop more positive thoughts when facing social challenges. This, in turn, strengthens resilience traits such as distress tolerance, adaptability and tolerance[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e70\u003c/span\u003e]. Enhanced psychological resilience further breaks down psychological barriers to establishing interpersonal trust, making students more willing to open up and accept others in social contexts[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR71\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e71\u003c/span\u003e]. Research confirms that social support among university students positively predicts psychological resilience levels[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR72\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e72\u003c/span\u003e], with positive social support showing a significant positive correlation with psychological resilience and social support deprivation showing a significant negative correlation[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e73\u003c/span\u003e]. Consequently, higher education institutions should prioritize strengthening their social support systems for students. Creating sports-based social platforms can empower students to navigate social challenges with greater psychological resilience. This finding extends the chain-mediation research framework by linking physical exercise and interpersonal trust. It provides the theoretical basis and practical guidance needed to develop campus socialization programs that integrate the provision of social support, the cultivation of psychological resilience, and the promotion of physical activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLimitations and Prospects\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study investigated the relationship between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust. In terms of theory, it serves to expand the research field on the relationship between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust, to clarify the serial mediating role of social support and psychological resilience in this relationship, and to provide a new perspective for in-depth understanding of the influencing factors of college students' interpersonal trust. The findings of this study provide a practical framework for enhancing college students' interpersonal trust levels and fostering their social health development. It is imperative that educational institutions and wider society ascribe significant value to the beneficial impact of physical exercise in cultivating favorable social attributes among university students. To this end, the formulation of supportive policies, the orchestration of a diverse array of collective sporting activities, and the establishment of a conducive environment for active engagement in physical exercise are paramount. The efficacy with which these objectives are realized will serve to enhance the level and quality of physical exercise undertaken by university students. Nevertheless, it is important to note that this study is not without its limitations. Firstly, the researchers adopted a questionnaire survey method, with data based on college students' self-reports, which may lead to certain subjective biases. It is recommended that future studies combine objective measurement methods. These may include the following: the recording of trust decisions made by college students through interpersonal interaction behavior experiments; and the tracking of the actual situation of physical exercise using sports APP data. Secondly, the present study adopts a cross-sectional research design. Subsequent research can employ longitudinal study or experimental research designs to further verify the causal relationships among physical exercise, interpersonal trust, social support, and psychological resilience. This study is at its core an exploration of the serial mediating role of social support and psychological resilience between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust. It is important to note, however, that there may be other moderating or mediating variables at play, including, but not limited to, personality traits and family parenting styles. Consequently, subsequent studies will encompass numerous variables to methodically explore the interaction mechanisms among variables, with the objective of more accurately elucidating the influence path of physical exercise on college students' interpersonal trust.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003e(1) Physical exercise, college students' interpersonal trust, social support and psychological resilience are correlated with each other.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(2) Physical exercise positively predicts college students' interpersonal trust, and it also positively predicts social support and psychological resilience. Social support positively predicts psychological resilience and college students' interpersonal trust; psychological resilience positively predicts college students' interpersonal trust.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(3) Social support and psychological resilience play separate mediating roles between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(4) Social support and psychological resilience play a serial mediating role between physical exercise and college students' interpersonal trust.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors would like to thank 504 college students, for agreeing to participate in the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompliance statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the implementation of this study, it strictly adheres to the International Ethical Guidelines for Health\u0026mdash;related Research Involving Human Subjects issued by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) and relevant Chinese scientific research ethics management measures and regulations. All aspects, such as the design of research methods and the collection and use of data, prioritize the protection of the rights, safety, and well\u0026mdash;being of participants, ensuring that the research is carried out within a legal and compliant framework.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation. If anyone would like to request data from this study, please contact the corresponding author, [email protected].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH-B Z conceived and supervised the study. Y-Z W collected and analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. Both authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. H-B Z is responsible for conceiving, writing, reviewing, editing the first draft and obtaining funds. Y-Z W is responsible for conceiving, writing, reviewing and editing the draft. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe design of this study followed the guidelines and regulations of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by Ethics Committee of Liaoning Normal University (LL2025384), and all participants signed an informed consent form and were paid for their participation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInformed consent\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten informed consent was obtained from all the participants and their parents (or legal guardian) prior to this study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCai, L. 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The influence of physical exercise on college students\u0026apos; prosocial behavior: The chain mediating role of perceived social support and psychological capital. \u003cem\u003eContemporary Sports Technology\u003c/em\u003e, 13(24), 140-144+149. https://doi.org/10.16655/j.cnki.2095-2813.2305-1579-2078\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"physical exercise, interpersonal trust, social support, psychological resilience","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8943401/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8943401/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eObjective\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study sought to examine the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust among a sample of college students, as well as the mediating roles of social support and psychological resilience in this relationship.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 526 college students from several universities in Liaoning Province, China, of whom 504 valid questionnaires were retained for final analysis after data screening. The data were collected using the following instruments: the Physical Activity Rating Scale, the Interpersonal Trust Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Psychological Resilience Scale. Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among variables and to test the proposed mediation model.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results demonstrated that: Results: (1) Physical exercise is positively correlated with college students\u0026rsquo; interpersonal trust, and its direct predictive effect on interpersonal trust is weak but robust; (2) Physical exercise can positively predict social support and psychological resilience; (3) Social support can positively predict psychological resilience and college students\u0026rsquo; interpersonal trust, and psychological resilience can also positively predict college students\u0026rsquo; interpersonal trust; (4) Social support and psychological resilience play important mediating roles between physical exercise and college students\u0026rsquo; interpersonal trust, with three mediating effect paths: physical exercise \u0026rarr; social support \u0026rarr; interpersonal trust; physical exercise \u0026rarr; psychological resilience \u0026rarr; interpersonal trust; physical exercise \u0026rarr; social support \u0026rarr; psychological resilience \u0026rarr; interpersonal trust.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study examined whether physical exercise was associated with interpersonal trust among college students. The results of the study support this hypothesis, with physical exercise demonstrating a weak but robust positive correlation with interpersonal trust among the sample of college students. The findings suggest that social support and psychological resilience independently mediate the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal trust and also operate as a serial mediation pathway between the two.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Relationship Between Physical Exercise and College Students' Interpersonal Trust: The Serial Mediating Effect of Social Support and Psychological Resilience","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-17 18:25:00","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8943401/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e729b6f7-59d4-44a4-a26f-ba0438a68050","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 17th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Rejected","date":"2026-04-29T17:00:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-29T11:26:29+00:00","index":90,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":66353316,"name":"Health sciences/Health care"},{"id":66353317,"name":"Biological sciences/Psychology"},{"id":66353318,"name":"Social science/Psychology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-29T17:09:28+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-17 18:25:00","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8943401","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8943401","identity":"rs-8943401","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}