The Effect of Physical Exercise on Academic Burnout in College Students—Chain Mediating Effect of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy

The Effect of Physical Exercise on Academic Burnout in College Students—Chain Mediating Effect of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy | 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 Effect of Physical Exercise on Academic Burnout in College Students—Chain Mediating Effect of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy Aiqin Li, Haojie Li, Jiangang Chen This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6529879/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 This study explored the effects of physical exercise on academic burnout among college students and examined the mediating roles of mindfulness and self-efficacy. A total of 1120 college students (mean age = 21.15 ± 2.68 years) were assessed using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, The Positive Attention Scale, The General Self-Efficacy Scale, The Academic Burnout Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS PROCESS macro (model 6) for chain mediation analysis. Results revealed a significant negative correlation between physical exercise and academic burnout (r = − 0.348). In the mediation model, the total effect of physical exercise on academic burnout was − 0.188, with a significant indirect effect of − 0.174. The indirect effects include: mindfulness alone (− 0.099, 52.66%), self-efficacy alone (− 0.088, 46.81%), and a chain effect via both mindfulness and self-efficacy (0.012, 6.38%). The direct effect was non-significant (β = −0.014, 95% CI [− 0.053, 0.025]), indicating full mediation. Notably, the positive chain mediation effect (0.012) reflects a suppressing effect due to the negative influence of mindfulness on self-efficacy. These findings highlight the indirect role of physical exercise in reducing academic burnout, with mindfulness and self-efficacy serving as key mediators. Promoting physical activity, alongside interventions to enhance mindfulness and self-efficacy, may effectively alleviate academic burnout among college students. Health sciences/Health care Health sciences/Risk factors physical exercise academic burnout college students mindfulness self-efficacy Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Introduction Academic burnout refers to the exhaustion, helplessness, and aversion to academic tasks that students experience when facing academic demands. It is typically manifested in three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced academic efficacy 1 . This issue is prevalent in university settings, with research indicating that more than half of university students experience moderate to severe levels of academic burnout, making it a common phenomenon among this population. Academic burnout has been shown to exert significant negative effects on learning motivation, academic performance, and mental health 2 . In addition to lowering self-esteem and academic efficacy, and reducing students’ engagement in learning, academic burnout may also have detrimental effects on overall well-being 3 . More critically, it can lead to a series of severe consequences, such as depression, academic disengagement, and even dropout, with potential long-term repercussions extending into students’ future professional development 4 . Unlike primary and secondary school students, university students’ education is more career-oriented; thus, investigating the causes and mechanisms of academic burnout among university students is of great practical significance. Understanding this phenomenon not only facilitates students’ career development but also contributes to enhancing the overall quality of the future workforce. According to a meta-analysis of research on academic burnout among university students conducted between 2005 and 2017, the level of academic burnout among Chinese university students has shown a slow but steady increase over the past 13 years 5 . The detrimental effects of academic burnout on students’ physical and mental health are profound, as it not only undermines their motivation and attitudes toward learning but also significantly lowers their academic performance and efficiency 6 . More alarmingly, academic burnout can contribute to issues such as depression, academic disengagement, and dropout, potentially jeopardizing students’ future career trajectories 7 . Therefore, exploring the mechanisms underlying academic burnout among university students holds both theoretical significance and practical value, as it can inform targeted intervention strategies to support student well-being and academic success. Existing research suggests that extracurricular physical activities not only enhance students' physical health but also alleviate academic burnout, reduce academic stress, and improve mental well-being 8 . However, studies examining the specific mediating mechanisms through which extracurricular physical activities influence academic burnout remain limited, necessitating further exploration. This gap underscores the need to investigate potential psychological mechanisms, with mindfulness and self-efficacy emerging as key variables warranting further research. The concept of mindfulness originated from Buddhism in the East. Later, after being digested, absorbed and innovated by Western psychology, it was introduced into modern psychology as a scientific construct. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in modern mindfulness research, defined mindfulness as follows: Mindfulness refers to the awareness and attention to current experiences and thoughts in a non-reactive, non-judgmental and open-minded manner. It consists of three components: "purposeful awareness", "attention focused on the present moment" and "non-judgmental attitude 9 ".Research has shown that mindfulness training has a significant positive impact on athletes' psychological states and performance 10 and aligns well with the effects of physical exercise in enhancing attention and awareness 11 . Moreover, Existing studies have shown that regularly engaging in aerobic exercise can significantly improve individuals' cognitive functions such as attention, and further enhance the level of mindfulness 12 . Further research also indicates that mindfulness can reduce academic-related negative emotions (such as academic stress and anxiety) and enhance psychological resilience, thereby alleviating academic burnout 13 . Self-efficacy is considered a crucial psychological resource that influences an individual's ability to cope with academic challenges. According to self-efficacy theory, self-efficacy refers to an individual's perceived belief in their ability to achieve goals 14,15 . This belief determines the extent of effort an individual invests and their perseverance in overcoming difficulties. As a key factor in promoting student engagement and academic achievement, high self-efficacy can motivate individuals to exert greater effort and persist until their goals are attained. Conversely, individuals with lower self-efficacy are more likely to experience self-doubt and negative emotions when facing failure and setbacks, increasing the risk of academic burnout. Research has shown that self-efficacy can regulate individuals’ effort levels and attentional engagement and, through the optimization of learning strategies, effectively mitigate academic burnout 16 . There may be a connection between mindfulness and self-efficacy, as they may jointly influence the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), autonomy, competence, and relatedness are key factors in the development of intrinsic motivation. Mindfulness, through its relationship with autonomous motivation, facilitates positive psychological feedback in emotional and social interactions 17 . Additionally, mindfulness may indirectly enhance self-efficacy by improving emotional stability and self-acceptance, while individuals with higher self-efficacy are more likely to engage in activities that cultivate mindfulness, thereby demonstrating greater adaptability when facing academic challenges. Further research has shown that mindfulness training may have a positive impact on self-efficacy 18 . Although existing literature generally indicates a significant correlation between physical exercise and academic burnout, the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of this relationship among university students have not been fully explored. Therefore, this study aims to examine the mediating roles of mindfulness and self-efficacy in the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout. Based on this, the study proposes the following hypotheses: H1: Physical exercise directly predicts academic burnout. H2 series: Mindfulness mediates the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout. H3: Self-efficacy mediates the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout. H4: Mindfulness and self-efficacy jointly alleviate the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout through a chain mediation effect. Figure 1 presents the proposed research model. Methods Participants This study used whole group sampling to administer questionnaires to 1,380 college students selected from 5 universities in Henan Province. After removing 260 invalid questionnaires due to incomplete data or lack of differentiation, we collected 1,120 valid questionnaires, with an effective response rate of 81.2%. Inclusion criteria: 1,220 college students aged between 18 and 24 who voluntarily participated in this study. The majors of the participants mainly included medicine, art, science and technology, finance, management, etc. The project was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the College of Physical Education and Sports of Beijing Normal University (No. 2109), and all subjects signed an informed consent form. Before the formal investigation, all participants signed a written informed consent form. Before the formal investigation, all participants signed a written informed consent form. The average age of the participants was 21.15 ± 2.68 years old. Among them, there were 650 male college students (58.04%) and 470 female college students (41.96%). For more information about the participants, please refer to Table 1 . Table 1 Demographic characteristics of participants N = 1120 General Information Category Frequency Percentage Cumulative percentage Gender Male 728 65% 65% Female 392 35% 100% Place of residence Rural 439 40% 40% Urban 681 60% 100% Grade Freshman 336 30% 30% Sophomore 644 57.5% 87.5% Junior 28 2.5% 90% Senior 28 2.5% 92.5% postgraduate 84 7.5% 100% Measures The Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), originally developed by Japanese scholar Koo Hashimoto, was revised into a Chinese version by Liang Deqing 19 . This scale uses a 5-point Likert scoring method and includes three questions, assessing the dimensions of intensity, time, and frequency of physical exercise. The total physical exercise score is calculated using the formula: Physical exercise score = Intensity score × (Time score − 1) × Frequency score. A higher score reflects a greater amount of physical exercise, with the total score ranging from 0 to 100 points. According to the theory of sports activity levels, scores are classified into three categories: low (≤ 19 points), moderate (20—42 points), and high (≥ 42 points). The Positive Attention Scale (MAAS) was used to assess mindfulness. It was developed by Brown and Ryan and revised by Chen to measure participants' level of positive thinking 20 . The scale consists of 15 items on a 6-point scale ranging from 1 (‘almost always’) to 6 (‘almost never’). Higher scores represent higher levels of the individual's positive thinking trait. Positive thinking in this study is a state variable (changeable in the short term). Previous studies have shown that the Chinese version of the Positive Mindfulness Attention Scale has good validity in the Chinese college student population 21 . The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for this scale in this study was 0.794. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), originally developed by Schwarzer et al 22 , was used to measure self-efficacy. This scale, consisting of 10 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale, has been widely used in Chinese populations and has demonstrated good reliability and validity 23 . Higher scores on the scale indicate greater levels of self-efficacy. In the present study, the GSES showed excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.953. The Academic Burnout Scale for College Students developed by Lian was used to measure the degree of academic burnout in our subjects 24 . The scale consists of 20 items and is performed on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (‘not at all’) to 5 (‘completely’), with higher scores indicating higher levels of academic burnout. It should be noted that items 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18 are all reverse-scored. The scale consists of three dimensions: depressed mood, misbehaviour and low achievement. Depressed mood refers to emotional characteristics such as frustration, burnout and lack of interest due to difficulties in dealing with academic problems or demands; Misbehaviour refers to behavioural characteristics such as skipping classes, not listening to lectures, arriving late and leaving early due to academic fatigue; and Low achievement refers to the characteristic of experiencing a low sense of achievement in the learning process. The scale has been widely used in the college student population and has shown good validity 25 . In this study, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.953. Design and Procedures This study is a cross-sectional study. The questionnaires were distributed to the participants through an online platform and each participant received a unique link. To ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data, the questionnaire contained two special questions specifically designed to prevent participants from completing the questionnaire in a perfunctory manner. The principles of confidentiality and anonymity were strictly adhered to in all data collection processes. The data collected was stored securely and only authorized personnel had access to it. Participants were assured that their responses would be used for research purposes only and that their identity would remain anonymous in any reports or publications of this study. All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study. Statistical Analysis Initially, all study variables were assessed using a questionnaire and the presence of common method bias was investigated by Harman's single factor test. Secondly, the data did not conform to a normal distribution, which was confirmed by the ‘Kolmogorov-Smirnov’ test and therefore descriptive statistics were performed using median and interquartile range [M(IQR)]. Subsequently, the relationship between physical exercise, mindfulness, self-efficacy and academic burnout was explored using Spearman's rank correlation analysis to test whether these variables were significantly related. Finally, mediation model testing and bootstrap analyses were performed using the SPSS Process plug-in to explore the mediating effects of mindfulness and self-efficacy in physical exercise and academic burnout. Results Common Method Deviation Test The Harman single factor test was used to test for common method bias. Results revealed that the first common component accounted for merely 27.5% of the total variance, below the critical criterion of 40% 26 , suggesting a negligible common method bias in this research. Preliminary Analyses As shown in Table 2 and Fig. 2 , physical exercise was significantly and negatively correlated with academic burnout (r = − 0.348, p < 0.01), and significantly and positively correlated with both mindfulness and self-efficacy (r = 0.546, r = 0.439, p < 0.01). Academic burnout was significantly negatively correlated with both mindfulness and self-efficacy (r = − 0.380, r = − 0.414, p < 0.01). Mindfulness was significantly and positively correlated with self-efficacy (r = 0.122, p < 0.01). The correlations between the study variables were significant and provided a good basis for subsequent tests of mediating effects. Table 2 Median, interquartile range and biased correlation analysis of each variable Note: * indicates p < 0.05; ** indicates p < 0.01; IQR, interquartile range Median (IQR) 1 2 3 1.Physical exercise 30.00(26.50) 1 2.Mindfulness 58.00(13.00) 0.546** 1 3.Self-effcacy 24.50(4.00) 0.439** 0.122** 1 4.Academic burnout 67.50(39.00) −0.348** −0.380** −0.414** Physical Exercise Effects Academic Burnout: A Chain Mediation Effect Test of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy In order to explore the predictive relationships of physical exercise, mindfulness and self-efficacy on academic burnout, regression analyses were performed. These factors were used as independent variables and academic burnout as the dependent variable. Gender, age, and grade level were used as control variables. In this study, the Process plug-in prepared by Hayes was used to analyze the chain mediation effect through the Bootstrap method. Physical exercise was set as the independent variable, mindfulness and self-efficacy as the mediating variables, and academic burnout as the dependent variable. Model 6 of the test method was chosen and the Bootstrap sample was set to 5000. the mediating effect was considered significant if the 95% confidence interval did not contain zero; otherwise, it was considered not significant. In addition, as suggested by Hayes, this study performed the mediation effect test when controlling for demographic variables such as gender, age, and grade level. The chain mediated effects model is shown in Fig. 3 . The results of the regression analysis showed (Table 3 ) that physical exercise had a significant positive predictive effect on mindfulness ( β = 0.579, p < 0.01); when physical exercise and mindfulness predicted self-efficacy at the same time, physical exercise ( β = 0.513, p < 0.01) had a significant positive predictive effect on self-efficacy, and mindfulness ( β = −0.128, p < 0.01) had a significant negative predictive effect on self-efficacy. When physical exercise, mindfulness and self-efficacy simultaneously predicted academic burnout, physical exercise, mindfulness and self-efficacy all had significant negative predictive effects ( β = −0.026, β = 0.323, β = −0.324, p < 0.01). Table 3 Regression analysis of physical exercise, mindfulness, self-effcacy and academic burnout Regression equation Confidence interval Dependent Variable Independent Variable R R 2 F β t LLCI ULCI Mindfulness Physical exercise 0.747 0.558 353.208** 0.579** 28.948 0.300 0.343 Self-efficacy Physical exercise 0.536 0.288 90.101** 0.513** 15.238 0.164 0.212 Mindfulness −0.128** −3.368 −0.134 −0.035 Academic burnout Physical exercise 0.504 0.254 63.279** −0.026 −0.705 −0.053 0.025 Mindfulness −0.323** −8.250 −0.381 −0.234 Self-efficacy −0.324** −10.589 −0.555 −0.381 Table 4 presents the standardized effect values and their significance tests for the pathways of physical exercise's effect on academic burnout. The Bootstrap 95% confidence intervals for the total indirect effects of mindfulness and self-efficacy do not contain a zero value, indicating that these two mediating variables have a significant mediating effect between physical exercise and academic burnout. This mediating effect consists of three indirect pathways: (1) the‘physical exercise → mindfulness → academic burnout’pathway, with confidence intervals that do not include a value of 0, suggesting that mindfulness has a significant mediating effect between physical exercise and academic burnout (standardized effect value = − 0.099, accounting for 52.66% of the total effect). (2) The pathway‘physical exercise → self-efficacy → academic burnout’has an indirect effect with a 95% confidence interval that does not include a value of 0, indicating that these two mediating variables have a significant mediating effect between physical exercise and academic burnout (standardized effect value = − 0.088, accounting for 46.81% of the total effect). (3) The‘physical exercise → mindfulness → self-efficacy → academic burnout’pathway generates an indirect effect, and its 95% confidence interval does not include a value of 0, suggesting that mindfulness and self-efficacy have a significant chain mediation effect between physical exercise and academic burnout (standardized effect value = 0.012, accounting for 6.38% of the total effect). Since physical exercise did not have a significant direct predictive effect on academic burnout, mindfulness and self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout. Table 4 Bootstrap analysis of the test of mediating effects of life satisfaction and mental toughness on the relationship between sport motivation and athlete burnout Effects pathway Indirect effect value Bootstrap standard error Boot LLCI Boot ULCI Relative effect % Total effect −0.188 0.014 −0.218 −0.160 — Direct effect −0.014 0.020 −0.053 0.025 7.45% Total indirect effect −0.174 0.014 −0.203 −0.146 92.55% Physical exercise → mindfulness → academic burnout −0.099 0.012 −0.123 −0.074 52.66% Physical exercise → self-efficacy → academic burnout −0.088 0.011 −0.111 −0.066 46.81% Physical exercise→ mindfulness → self-efficacy → academic burnout 0.012 0.005 0.003 0.023 6.38% Discussion This study explored how physical exercise indirectly effects academic burnout among college students by introducing two variables, mindfulness and self-efficacy. The study constructed and validated a chain mediation model to examine the complex relationship between physical exercise, mindfulness, self-efficacy and academic burnout. The results of the study showed that physical exercise indirectly effected academic burnout through the chain mediation of mindfulness and self-efficacy, and these two variables also played independent mediating roles respectively. In addition, the direct effect of physical exercise on academic burnout was not significant, further supporting the rationality of the mediation model. Hypotheses H1, H2, H3, and H4 of this study were all supported, providing a new theoretical perspective for understanding the mechanism of physical exercise's role in alleviating academic burnout. The Mediating Role of Mindfulness on Academic Burnout The findings of this study underscore the pivotal role of mindfulness as a psychological mechanism through which physical exercise alleviates academic burnout. Specifically, the indirect effect of physical exercise on academic burnout via mindfulness alone accounted for 52.66% of the total effect, indicating that enhanced mindfulness is a primary conduit through which the benefits of physical activity manifest in the academic domain. This result aligns with prior research demonstrating that regular engagement in physical activity can enhance present-moment awareness, emotional regulation, and attentional control 27 , all of which are protective factors against academic burnout. Mindfulness contributes to reduced academic burnout by enabling individuals to adopt a non-judgmental, accepting stance toward academic stressors, thereby reducing emotional exhaustion and feelings of inefficacy 28,29 . In the context of college students, higher levels of mindfulness may foster greater cognitive flexibility and adaptive coping strategies 30 , helping them to navigate the academic pressures and demands more effectively. The present study extends these findings by providing empirical evidence that physical exercise serves as a behavioral pathway to cultivate mindfulness, thus reducing the likelihood of burnout. Moreover, the full mediation observed in the model suggests that the beneficial effects of physical exercise are not exerted directly on academic burnout, but rather through internal psychological processes such as mindfulness. This highlights the need to incorporate mindfulness-oriented strategies in physical activity programs, thereby maximizing the psychological gains of exercise interventions 31 . In practical terms, structured exercise regimens that integrate mindfulness components—such as mindful movement or yoga—may be particularly effective in targeting academic burnout in student populations 32 . The Mediating Role of Self-efficacy on Academic Burnout The present study also identified self-efficacy as a significant independent mediator in the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout, accounting for 46.81% of the total effect. This finding supports existing theoretical frameworks, such as Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory 33 , which posits that self-efficacy plays a crucial role in how individuals perceive and respond to challenges. In the context of higher education, students with higher self-efficacy are more likely to approach academic demands with confidence, persistence, and resilience, thereby mitigating the risk of burnout. Physical exercise has been shown to positively influence self-efficacy by fostering a sense of accomplishment, strengthening perceived control, and enhancing one's belief in the capacity to overcome difficulties 34 . These gains in self-perception extend beyond the physical domain, influencing cognitive and emotional functioning relevant to academic tasks. The current findings empirically validate this pathway, demonstrating that students who engage in more physical activity tend to exhibit higher general self-efficacy, which in turn reduces academic burnout symptoms such as emotional exhaustion and academic cynicism 35 . Importantly, the mediating role of self-efficacy suggests that the protective effects of physical exercise are not merely physiological but are embedded in a broader psychosocial framework. This underscores the value of designing campus-based physical activity interventions that not only promote physical health but also intentionally aim to cultivate students’ self-efficacy beliefs 36 . For instance, incorporating goal-setting, feedback, and self-monitoring into exercise programs may amplify their psychological benefits, particularly in buffering against academic stress. Chain Mediation of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy in the Role of Physical Exercise on Academic Burnout Although mindfulness and self-efficacy independently exert positive effects on the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout, an intriguing pattern emerges when both are simultaneously included in the chain mediation model: a “competitive mediation” effect becomes evident. Specifically, while mindfulness enhances individuals’ present-moment awareness, it appears to exert a suppressive influence on self-efficacy, thereby partially weakening the beneficial impact of physical exercise on academic burnout through this sequential pathway. This phenomenon reveals a complex, nonlinear interaction among psychological resources. This negative predictive relationship may be attributed to the heightened self-awareness fostered by mindfulness training. In states of high mindfulness, individuals may become more acutely aware of their own limitations and inadequacies, potentially leading to increased self-doubt and a diminished sense of competence. Furthermore, the core tenets of mindfulness—such as present-centered attention and nonjudgmental acceptance—though effective in alleviating stress, may also inadvertently reduce individuals’ motivation to pursue achievement, performance, and future-oriented goals. As a result, their perceived sense of control and competence may be undermined, weakening the psychological foundation of self-efficacy 37 . From a broader perspective, this finding suggests that the relationship between different psychological resources in an intervention context is not merely additive or linear, but may involve functional displacement or resource restructuring 38 . As a regulatory tool, the effectiveness of mindfulness often depends on individuals’ pre-existing cognitive frameworks and psychological structures. When one’s self-efficacy system is not yet well-established, the heightened awareness elicited by mindfulness may, paradoxically, lead to confusion and diminished confidence 38 . Therefore, in practical applications, implementing mindfulness training alone may not be sufficient to comprehensively support students’ academic adaptation. A more effective intervention approach may involve combining mindfulness with positive psychological techniques, such as goal-setting and self-affirmation, to simultaneously enhance awareness and strengthen self-belief and perceived competence 40 . Such integration would better leverage the synergistic potential of the chain mediation mechanism. The current findings contribute theoretically to a more nuanced understanding of how physical exercise influences academic burnout. They also underscore the importance of considering the dynamic interplay and potential tension between psychological constructs when developing psychological promotion models. Limitations and future directions Although this study has provided meaningful insights into the chain mediation effect of physical exercise on academic burnout through mindfulness and self-efficacy, there are several limitations that warrant further investigation and expansion in future research. First, the study employed a cross-sectional design, which restricts the ability to make strict causal inferences between the variables. While the mediation model offers a theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms, longitudinal tracking or experimental intervention studies are needed in the future to validate the dynamic impact pathways of physical exercise on academic burnout, especially with regard to the stability of the mechanisms across different academic terms, stress phases, or changes in exercise frequency. Second, the study primarily relied on self-report questionnaires to collect data, which may be influenced by social desirability bias or subjective evaluation errors. Future research could integrate behavioral observation, physiological indicators, or third-party assessments (such as teacher ratings or exercise logs) as multi-source data to enhance the reliability and ecological validity of the conclusions. Additionally, the sample was predominantly drawn from university students in mainland China, which may limit the generalizability of the findings in terms of cultural context, academic pressure, and exercise resources. Future studies could extend the research to include participants from different regions, various types of universities, or special populations (such as students in high-stress majors or athletes) to examine the cross-cultural applicability and contextual adaptability of the model. In summary, this study provides strong evidence for understanding the psychological mechanisms through which physical exercise alleviates academic burnout. However, it also highlights several complex issues and unresolved questions in this field that warrant further exploration and verification in subsequent research. Conclusions This study highlights the critical role of physical exercise in reducing academic burnout among college students, primarily through multiple indirect mechanisms rather than a direct effect. Specifically, it was found that (1) physical exercise formed a chain-mediated effect through mindfulness and self-efficacy, i.e., higher levels of physical exercise elevated mindfulness, which in turn enhanced self-efficacy and thus effectively reduced academic burnout; (2) physical exercise produced an independent mediating effect through mindfulness, which directly elevated the level of mindfulness and contributed to the alleviation of burnout; and (3) physical exercise has an independent mediating effect through self-efficacy, which directly enhances self-efficacy and thus reduces burnout. These findings provide important empirical support for understanding the complex influence of physical exercise on college students' academic burnout, and also provide new insights for future intervention practices. Declarations Conflict of Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Funding This study received no additional funding. Author Contribution All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by all authors. QL and HL designed the project. QL and HL conducted experiments. JC analyzed the data. QL wrote the manuscript. HL, JC, and QL collected the data. HL and JC revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript. 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BMC PUBLIC HEALTH 24 1414 (2024). 33Bandura, A. elf-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control . (New York: W. H. Freeman, (1997). 34McAuley, E., Szabo, A., Gothe, N. & Olson, E. A. Self-efficacy: Implications for Physical Activity, Function, and Functional Limitations in Older Adults. AM J LIFESTYLE MED 5 (2011). 35Tian, Y. & Yang, S. The chain mediating effect of mindfulness and self-esteem in the relationship between leisure-time physical activity and academic burnout among college students. SCI REP-UK 14 32119 (2024). 36Williams, S. L. & French, D. P. What are the most effective intervention techniques for changing physical activity self-efficacy and physical activity behaviour–and are they the same? HEALTH EDUC RES 26 308 (2011). 37Hülsheger, U. R. L. J. The power of presence: The role of mindfulness at work for daily levels and change trajectories of psychological detachment and sleep quality. J APPL PSYCHOL 66 1113 (2014). 38Hobfoll, S. E. Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. AM PSYCHOL 44 513 (1989). 39Shapiro, S. L. L. E. C. J., Mechanisms of mindfulness. J CLIN PSYCHOL 62 373 (2005). 40Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D. & Kelly, D. R. Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals. J PERS SOC PSYCHOL 92 1087 (2007). Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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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-6529879","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":456027023,"identity":"29c70af2-2b8d-4092-85b6-a2d7f6d591f6","order_by":0,"name":"Aiqin Li","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4klEQVRIie2RsQrCMBCGUwLpEnWNVPAVrhSqQtFXqQQyOejmmKmT4NrH6CNUD3XxARwcKoJzxcXBQe2qGN0c8k033Mfdf0eIxfKHAKWbcwmi32gjFiVEfbPiMkXFNJLNlCk/HStpVho8JHyrnCzl4PFy6WjzYkwVzQQpeBqCCHJKXFxlpiwwSbDeaeXxcQT7OuFK7QxTYvGc0tNxHozgRIngoUHhIGoJOlk+1F4X0NFfKKGo4u8k8ch3CpNBdeTZmvkzUJKZsgzmuDhUr3Tnl+J6ix4Frj8qr7Df2i0Wi8XyjjvHyEmGo4TxSwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Henan Sport University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aiqin","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":456027024,"identity":"db591057-7122-44f6-9e10-122bdd23207d","order_by":1,"name":"Haojie Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Beijing Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Haojie","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":456027025,"identity":"8c50afbf-0508-4770-a861-c215ed5dee46","order_by":2,"name":"Jiangang Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Beijing Normal University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jiangang","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-25 14:38:18","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6529879/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6529879/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82696039,"identity":"299ad7cc-5305-429d-8211-53a9e8cbb6de","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-14 08:51:51","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":4964,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eProposed model.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6529879/v1/0449df84f4babedc472648af.png"},{"id":82696045,"identity":"7396b4d4-a44b-45fc-ab3c-1521a94bfcd7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-14 08:51:51","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":76227,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe correlation matrix among variables is being examined. The matrix presents specific correlation coefficient values as well as an indication of the direction and strength of the correlation via the ellipse colours and shapes. Specifically, red ellipses signify positive correlations and blue ellipses signify negative correlations. A darker or more flattened ellipse, moreover, indicates a stronger correlation.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6529879/v1/c02e47e05edf1cdb557e7ce1.png"},{"id":82696040,"identity":"958c0b1b-3a2e-4101-8a13-3ac8ac5b7cd1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-14 08:51:51","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":8201,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eChain mediation model of the relationship between physical exercise, mindfulness, self-efficacy, and academic burnout.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote: Solid lines are paths with significant effects; dashed lines represent non-significant paths.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6529879/v1/9d981dcb16bd349e42bda2a1.png"},{"id":103209431,"identity":"4f5e81a6-9430-4538-a3be-2c4cabd08c5b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-23 08:12:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":899936,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6529879/v1/ac6dd08c-b127-4334-86fd-eb1db976b5e0.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Effect of Physical Exercise on Academic Burnout in College Students—Chain Mediating Effect of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eAcademic burnout refers to the exhaustion, helplessness, and aversion to academic tasks that students experience when facing academic demands. It is typically manifested in three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced academic efficacy \u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e. This issue is prevalent in university settings, with research indicating that more than half of university students experience moderate to severe levels of academic burnout, making it a common phenomenon among this population. Academic burnout has been shown to exert significant negative effects on learning motivation, academic performance, and mental health \u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e. In addition to lowering self-esteem and academic efficacy, and reducing students\u0026rsquo; engagement in learning, academic burnout may also have detrimental effects on overall well-being \u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e. More critically, it can lead to a series of severe consequences, such as depression, academic disengagement, and even dropout, with potential long-term repercussions extending into students\u0026rsquo; future professional development \u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e. Unlike primary and secondary school students, university students\u0026rsquo; education is more career-oriented; thus, investigating the causes and mechanisms of academic burnout among university students is of great practical significance. Understanding this phenomenon not only facilitates students\u0026rsquo; career development but also contributes to enhancing the overall quality of the future workforce. According to a meta-analysis of research on academic burnout among university students conducted between 2005 and 2017, the level of academic burnout among Chinese university students has shown a slow but steady increase over the past 13 years \u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e. The detrimental effects of academic burnout on students\u0026rsquo; physical and mental health are profound, as it not only undermines their motivation and attitudes toward learning but also significantly lowers their academic performance and efficiency \u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e. More alarmingly, academic burnout can contribute to issues such as depression, academic disengagement, and dropout, potentially jeopardizing students\u0026rsquo; future career trajectories \u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e. Therefore, exploring the mechanisms underlying academic burnout among university students holds both theoretical significance and practical value, as it can inform targeted intervention strategies to support student well-being and academic success.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eExisting research suggests that extracurricular physical activities not only enhance students' physical health but also alleviate academic burnout, reduce academic stress, and improve mental well-being \u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e. However, studies examining the specific mediating mechanisms through which extracurricular physical activities influence academic burnout remain limited, necessitating further exploration. This gap underscores the need to investigate potential psychological mechanisms, with mindfulness and self-efficacy emerging as key variables warranting further research.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe concept of mindfulness originated from Buddhism in the East. Later, after being digested, absorbed and innovated by Western psychology, it was introduced into modern psychology as a scientific construct. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in modern mindfulness research, defined mindfulness as follows: Mindfulness refers to the awareness and attention to current experiences and thoughts in a non-reactive, non-judgmental and open-minded manner. It consists of three components: \"purposeful awareness\", \"attention focused on the present moment\" and \"non-judgmental attitude \u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\".Research has shown that mindfulness training has a significant positive impact on athletes' psychological states and performance \u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e and aligns well with the effects of physical exercise in enhancing attention and awareness \u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e. Moreover, Existing studies have shown that regularly engaging in aerobic exercise can significantly improve individuals' cognitive functions such as attention, and further enhance the level of mindfulness\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e. Further research also indicates that mindfulness can reduce academic-related negative emotions (such as academic stress and anxiety) and enhance psychological resilience, thereby alleviating academic burnout \u003csup\u003e13\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy is considered a crucial psychological resource that influences an individual's ability to cope with academic challenges. According to self-efficacy theory, self-efficacy refers to an individual's perceived belief in their ability to achieve goals \u003csup\u003e14,15\u003c/sup\u003e. This belief determines the extent of effort an individual invests and their perseverance in overcoming difficulties. As a key factor in promoting student engagement and academic achievement, high self-efficacy can motivate individuals to exert greater effort and persist until their goals are attained. Conversely, individuals with lower self-efficacy are more likely to experience self-doubt and negative emotions when facing failure and setbacks, increasing the risk of academic burnout. Research has shown that self-efficacy can regulate individuals\u0026rsquo; effort levels and attentional engagement and, through the optimization of learning strategies, effectively mitigate academic burnout \u003csup\u003e16\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere may be a connection between mindfulness and self-efficacy, as they may jointly influence the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), autonomy, competence, and relatedness are key factors in the development of intrinsic motivation. Mindfulness, through its relationship with autonomous motivation, facilitates positive psychological feedback in emotional and social interactions \u003csup\u003e17\u003c/sup\u003e. Additionally, mindfulness may indirectly enhance self-efficacy by improving emotional stability and self-acceptance, while individuals with higher self-efficacy are more likely to engage in activities that cultivate mindfulness, thereby demonstrating greater adaptability when facing academic challenges. Further research has shown that mindfulness training may have a positive impact on self-efficacy\u003csup\u003e18\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough existing literature generally indicates a significant correlation between physical exercise and academic burnout, the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of this relationship among university students have not been fully explored.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, this study aims to examine the mediating roles of mindfulness and self-efficacy in the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout. Based on this, the study proposes the following hypotheses:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eH1: Physical exercise directly predicts academic burnout.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eH2 series: Mindfulness mediates the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eH3: Self-efficacy mediates the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eH4: Mindfulness and self-efficacy jointly alleviate the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout through a chain mediation effect. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e presents the proposed research model.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eParticipants\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study used whole group sampling to administer questionnaires to 1,380 college students selected from 5 universities in Henan Province. After removing 260 invalid questionnaires due to incomplete data or lack of differentiation, we collected 1,120 valid questionnaires, with an effective response rate of 81.2%. Inclusion criteria: 1,220 college students aged between 18 and 24 who voluntarily participated in this study. The majors of the participants mainly included medicine, art, science and technology, finance, management, etc. The project was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the College of Physical Education and Sports of Beijing Normal University (No. 2109), and all subjects signed an informed consent form. Before the formal investigation, all participants signed a written informed consent form. Before the formal investigation, all participants signed a written informed consent form. The average age of the participants was 21.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.68 years old. Among them, there were 650 male college students (58.04%) and 470 female college students (41.96%). For more information about the participants, please refer to Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDemographic characteristics of participants N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGeneral Information\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCategory\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCumulative percentage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e728\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e392\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlace of residence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRural\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e439\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e681\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrade\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFreshman\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e336\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSophomore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e644\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e92.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epostgraduate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMeasures\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), originally developed by Japanese scholar Koo Hashimoto, was revised into a Chinese version by Liang Deqing\u003csup\u003e19\u003c/sup\u003e. This scale uses a 5-point Likert scoring method and includes three questions, assessing the dimensions of intensity, time, and frequency of physical exercise. The total physical exercise score is calculated using the formula: Physical exercise score\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Intensity score \u0026times; (Time score \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1) \u0026times; Frequency score. A higher score reflects a greater amount of physical exercise, with the total score ranging from 0 to 100 points. According to the theory of sports activity levels, scores are classified into three categories: low (\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;19 points), moderate (20\u0026mdash;42 points), and high (\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;42 points).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Positive Attention Scale (MAAS) was used to assess mindfulness. It was developed by Brown and Ryan and revised by Chen to measure participants' level of positive thinking\u003csup\u003e20\u003c/sup\u003e. The scale consists of 15 items on a 6-point scale ranging from 1 (\u0026lsquo;almost always\u0026rsquo;) to 6 (\u0026lsquo;almost never\u0026rsquo;). Higher scores represent higher levels of the individual's positive thinking trait. Positive thinking in this study is a state variable (changeable in the short term). Previous studies have shown that the Chinese version of the Positive Mindfulness Attention Scale has good validity in the Chinese college student population\u003csup\u003e21\u003c/sup\u003e. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for this scale in this study was 0.794.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), originally developed by Schwarzer et al\u003csup\u003e22\u003c/sup\u003e, was used to measure self-efficacy. This scale, consisting of 10 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale, has been widely used in Chinese populations and has demonstrated good reliability and validity\u003csup\u003e23\u003c/sup\u003e. Higher scores on the scale indicate greater levels of self-efficacy. In the present study, the GSES showed excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha of 0.953.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Academic Burnout Scale for College Students developed by Lian was used to measure the degree of academic burnout in our subjects\u003csup\u003e24\u003c/sup\u003e. The scale consists of 20 items and is performed on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (\u0026lsquo;not at all\u0026rsquo;) to 5 (\u0026lsquo;completely\u0026rsquo;), with higher scores indicating higher levels of academic burnout. It should be noted that items 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18 are all reverse-scored. The scale consists of three dimensions: depressed mood, misbehaviour and low achievement. Depressed mood refers to emotional characteristics such as frustration, burnout and lack of interest due to difficulties in dealing with academic problems or demands; Misbehaviour refers to behavioural characteristics such as skipping classes, not listening to lectures, arriving late and leaving early due to academic fatigue; and Low achievement refers to the characteristic of experiencing a low sense of achievement in the learning process. The scale has been widely used in the college student population and has shown good validity\u003csup\u003e25\u003c/sup\u003e. In this study, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.953.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDesign and Procedures\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study is a cross-sectional study. The questionnaires were distributed to the participants through an online platform and each participant received a unique link. To ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data, the questionnaire contained two special questions specifically designed to prevent participants from completing the questionnaire in a perfunctory manner. The principles of confidentiality and anonymity were strictly adhered to in all data collection processes. The data collected was stored securely and only authorized personnel had access to it. Participants were assured that their responses would be used for research purposes only and that their identity would remain anonymous in any reports or publications of this study. All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStatistical Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eInitially, all study variables were assessed using a questionnaire and the presence of common method bias was investigated by Harman's single factor test. Secondly, the data did not conform to a normal distribution, which was confirmed by the \u0026lsquo;Kolmogorov-Smirnov\u0026rsquo; test and therefore descriptive statistics were performed using median and interquartile range [M(IQR)]. Subsequently, the relationship between physical exercise, mindfulness, self-efficacy and academic burnout was explored using Spearman's rank correlation analysis to test whether these variables were significantly related. Finally, mediation model testing and bootstrap analyses were performed using the SPSS Process plug-in to explore the mediating effects of mindfulness and self-efficacy in physical exercise and academic burnout.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCommon Method Deviation Test\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Harman single factor test was used to test for common method bias. Results revealed that the first common component accounted for merely 27.5% of the total variance, below the critical criterion of 40%\u003csup\u003e26\u003c/sup\u003e, suggesting a negligible common method bias in this research.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePreliminary Analyses\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e and Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, physical exercise was significantly and negatively correlated with academic burnout (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.348, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), and significantly and positively correlated with both mindfulness and self-efficacy (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.546, r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.439, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). Academic burnout was significantly negatively correlated with both mindfulness and self-efficacy (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.380, r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.414, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). Mindfulness was significantly and positively correlated with self-efficacy (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.122, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The correlations between the study variables were significant and provided a good basis for subsequent tests of mediating effects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedian, interquartile range and biased correlation analysis of each variable \u003cem\u003eNote: * indicates p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05; ** indicates p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01; IQR, interquartile range\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedian (IQR)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.Physical exercise\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.00(26.50)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.Mindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58.00(13.00)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.546**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.Self-effcacy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.50(4.00)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.439**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.122**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.Academic burnout\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67.50(39.00)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.348**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.380**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.414**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePhysical Exercise Effects Academic Burnout: A Chain Mediation Effect Test of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn order to explore the predictive relationships of physical exercise, mindfulness and self-efficacy on academic burnout, regression analyses were performed. These factors were used as independent variables and academic burnout as the dependent variable. Gender, age, and grade level were used as control variables. In this study, the Process plug-in prepared by Hayes was used to analyze the chain mediation effect through the Bootstrap method. Physical exercise was set as the independent variable, mindfulness and self-efficacy as the mediating variables, and academic burnout as the dependent variable. Model 6 of the test method was chosen and the Bootstrap sample was set to 5000. the mediating effect was considered significant if the 95% confidence interval did not contain zero; otherwise, it was considered not significant. In addition, as suggested by Hayes, this study performed the mediation effect test when controlling for demographic variables such as gender, age, and grade level.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe chain mediated effects model is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. The results of the regression analysis showed (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) that physical exercise had a significant positive predictive effect on mindfulness (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.579, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01); when physical exercise and mindfulness predicted self-efficacy at the same time, physical exercise (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.513, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) had a significant positive predictive effect on self-efficacy, and mindfulness (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e = \u0026minus;0.128, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) had a significant negative predictive effect on self-efficacy. When physical exercise, mindfulness and self-efficacy simultaneously predicted academic burnout, physical exercise, mindfulness and self-efficacy all had significant negative predictive effects (\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e = \u0026minus;0.026, \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.323, \u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e = \u0026minus;0.324, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegression analysis of physical exercise, mindfulness, self-effcacy and academic burnout\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegression equation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConfidence interval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDependent Variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndependent Variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLLCI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eULCI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical exercise\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.747\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.558\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e353.208**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.579**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.948\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.300\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.343\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical exercise\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.536\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.288\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.101**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.513**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.238\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.164\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.212\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.128**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;3.368\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.134\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.035\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcademic burnout\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical exercise\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.504\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.254\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63.279**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.026\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.705\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.323**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;8.250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.381\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.234\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.324**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;10.589\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.555\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.381\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e presents the standardized effect values and their significance tests for the pathways of physical exercise's effect on academic burnout. The Bootstrap 95% confidence intervals for the total indirect effects of mindfulness and self-efficacy do not contain a zero value, indicating that these two mediating variables have a significant mediating effect between physical exercise and academic burnout. This mediating effect consists of three indirect pathways: (1) the\u0026lsquo;physical exercise \u0026rarr; mindfulness \u0026rarr; academic burnout\u0026rsquo;pathway, with confidence intervals that do not include a value of 0, suggesting that mindfulness has a significant mediating effect between physical exercise and academic burnout (standardized effect value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.099, accounting for 52.66% of the total effect). (2) The pathway\u0026lsquo;physical exercise \u0026rarr; self-efficacy \u0026rarr; academic burnout\u0026rsquo;has an indirect effect with a 95% confidence interval that does not include a value of 0, indicating that these two mediating variables have a significant mediating effect between physical exercise and academic burnout (standardized effect value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.088, accounting for 46.81% of the total effect). (3) The\u0026lsquo;physical exercise \u0026rarr; mindfulness \u0026rarr; self-efficacy \u0026rarr; academic burnout\u0026rsquo;pathway generates an indirect effect, and its 95% confidence interval does not include a value of 0, suggesting that mindfulness and self-efficacy have a significant chain mediation effect between physical exercise and academic burnout (standardized effect value\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.012, accounting for 6.38% of the total effect). Since physical exercise did not have a significant direct predictive effect on academic burnout, mindfulness and self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBootstrap analysis of the test of mediating effects of life satisfaction and mental toughness on the relationship between sport motivation and athlete burnout\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffects pathway\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndirect effect value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBootstrap standard error\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoot LLCI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoot ULCI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative effect %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal effect\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.188\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.218\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026mdash;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDirect effect\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.45%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal indirect effect\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.174\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.203\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.146\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e92.55%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical exercise \u0026rarr; mindfulness \u0026rarr; academic burnout\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.099\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.123\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.074\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.66%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical exercise \u0026rarr; self-efficacy \u0026rarr; academic burnout\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.088\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.111\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.066\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.81%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical exercise\u0026rarr; mindfulness \u0026rarr; self-efficacy \u0026rarr; academic burnout\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.023\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.38%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study explored how physical exercise indirectly effects academic burnout among college students by introducing two variables, mindfulness and self-efficacy. The study constructed and validated a chain mediation model to examine the complex relationship between physical exercise, mindfulness, self-efficacy and academic burnout. The results of the study showed that physical exercise indirectly effected academic burnout through the chain mediation of mindfulness and self-efficacy, and these two variables also played independent mediating roles respectively. In addition, the direct effect of physical exercise on academic burnout was not significant, further supporting the rationality of the mediation model. Hypotheses H1, H2, H3, and H4 of this study were all supported, providing a new theoretical perspective for understanding the mechanism of physical exercise's role in alleviating academic burnout.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe Mediating Role of Mindfulness on Academic Burnout\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings of this study underscore the pivotal role of mindfulness as a psychological mechanism through which physical exercise alleviates academic burnout. Specifically, the indirect effect of physical exercise on academic burnout via mindfulness alone accounted for 52.66% of the total effect, indicating that enhanced mindfulness is a primary conduit through which the benefits of physical activity manifest in the academic domain. This result aligns with prior research demonstrating that regular engagement in physical activity can enhance present-moment awareness, emotional regulation, and attentional control\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e, all of which are protective factors against academic burnout. Mindfulness contributes to reduced academic burnout by enabling individuals to adopt a non-judgmental, accepting stance toward academic stressors, thereby reducing emotional exhaustion and feelings of inefficacy\u003csup\u003e28,29\u003c/sup\u003e. In the context of college students, higher levels of mindfulness may foster greater cognitive flexibility and adaptive coping strategies\u003csup\u003e30\u003c/sup\u003e, helping them to navigate the academic pressures and demands more effectively. The present study extends these findings by providing empirical evidence that physical exercise serves as a behavioral pathway to cultivate mindfulness, thus reducing the likelihood of burnout. Moreover, the full mediation observed in the model suggests that the beneficial effects of physical exercise are not exerted directly on academic burnout, but rather through internal psychological processes such as mindfulness. This highlights the need to incorporate mindfulness-oriented strategies in physical activity programs, thereby maximizing the psychological gains of exercise interventions\u003csup\u003e31\u003c/sup\u003e. In practical terms, structured exercise regimens that integrate mindfulness components\u0026mdash;such as mindful movement or yoga\u0026mdash;may be particularly effective in targeting academic burnout in student populations\u003csup\u003e32\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe Mediating Role of Self-efficacy on Academic Burnout\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study also identified self-efficacy as a significant independent mediator in the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout, accounting for 46.81% of the total effect. This finding supports existing theoretical frameworks, such as Bandura\u0026rsquo;s Social Cognitive Theory\u003csup\u003e33\u003c/sup\u003e, which posits that self-efficacy plays a crucial role in how individuals perceive and respond to challenges. In the context of higher education, students with higher self-efficacy are more likely to approach academic demands with confidence, persistence, and resilience, thereby mitigating the risk of burnout. Physical exercise has been shown to positively influence self-efficacy by fostering a sense of accomplishment, strengthening perceived control, and enhancing one's belief in the capacity to overcome difficulties\u003csup\u003e34\u003c/sup\u003e. These gains in self-perception extend beyond the physical domain, influencing cognitive and emotional functioning relevant to academic tasks. The current findings empirically validate this pathway, demonstrating that students who engage in more physical activity tend to exhibit higher general self-efficacy, which in turn reduces academic burnout symptoms such as emotional exhaustion and academic cynicism\u003csup\u003e35\u003c/sup\u003e. Importantly, the mediating role of self-efficacy suggests that the protective effects of physical exercise are not merely physiological but are embedded in a broader psychosocial framework. This underscores the value of designing campus-based physical activity interventions that not only promote physical health but also intentionally aim to cultivate students\u0026rsquo; self-efficacy beliefs\u003csup\u003e36\u003c/sup\u003e. For instance, incorporating goal-setting, feedback, and self-monitoring into exercise programs may amplify their psychological benefits, particularly in buffering against academic stress.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eChain Mediation of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy in the Role of Physical Exercise on Academic Burnout\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough mindfulness and self-efficacy independently exert positive effects on the relationship between physical exercise and academic burnout, an intriguing pattern emerges when both are simultaneously included in the chain mediation model: a \u0026ldquo;competitive mediation\u0026rdquo; effect becomes evident. Specifically, while mindfulness enhances individuals\u0026rsquo; present-moment awareness, it appears to exert a suppressive influence on self-efficacy, thereby partially weakening the beneficial impact of physical exercise on academic burnout through this sequential pathway. This phenomenon reveals a complex, nonlinear interaction among psychological resources. This negative predictive relationship may be attributed to the heightened self-awareness fostered by mindfulness training. In states of high mindfulness, individuals may become more acutely aware of their own limitations and inadequacies, potentially leading to increased self-doubt and a diminished sense of competence. Furthermore, the core tenets of mindfulness\u0026mdash;such as present-centered attention and nonjudgmental acceptance\u0026mdash;though effective in alleviating stress, may also inadvertently reduce individuals\u0026rsquo; motivation to pursue achievement, performance, and future-oriented goals. As a result, their perceived sense of control and competence may be undermined, weakening the psychological foundation of self-efficacy\u003csup\u003e37\u003c/sup\u003e. From a broader perspective, this finding suggests that the relationship between different psychological resources in an intervention context is not merely additive or linear, but may involve functional displacement or resource restructuring\u003csup\u003e38\u003c/sup\u003e. As a regulatory tool, the effectiveness of mindfulness often depends on individuals\u0026rsquo; pre-existing cognitive frameworks and psychological structures. When one\u0026rsquo;s self-efficacy system is not yet well-established, the heightened awareness elicited by mindfulness may, paradoxically, lead to confusion and diminished confidence\u003csup\u003e38\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, in practical applications, implementing mindfulness training alone may not be sufficient to comprehensively support students\u0026rsquo; academic adaptation. A more effective intervention approach may involve combining mindfulness with positive psychological techniques, such as goal-setting and self-affirmation, to simultaneously enhance awareness and strengthen self-belief and perceived competence\u003csup\u003e40\u003c/sup\u003e. Such integration would better leverage the synergistic potential of the chain mediation mechanism. The current findings contribute theoretically to a more nuanced understanding of how physical exercise influences academic burnout. They also underscore the importance of considering the dynamic interplay and potential tension between psychological constructs when developing psychological promotion models.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLimitations and future directions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough this study has provided meaningful insights into the chain mediation effect of physical exercise on academic burnout through mindfulness and self-efficacy, there are several limitations that warrant further investigation and expansion in future research. First, the study employed a cross-sectional design, which restricts the ability to make strict causal inferences between the variables. While the mediation model offers a theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms, longitudinal tracking or experimental intervention studies are needed in the future to validate the dynamic impact pathways of physical exercise on academic burnout, especially with regard to the stability of the mechanisms across different academic terms, stress phases, or changes in exercise frequency. Second, the study primarily relied on self-report questionnaires to collect data, which may be influenced by social desirability bias or subjective evaluation errors. Future research could integrate behavioral observation, physiological indicators, or third-party assessments (such as teacher ratings or exercise logs) as multi-source data to enhance the reliability and ecological validity of the conclusions. Additionally, the sample was predominantly drawn from university students in mainland China, which may limit the generalizability of the findings in terms of cultural context, academic pressure, and exercise resources. Future studies could extend the research to include participants from different regions, various types of universities, or special populations (such as students in high-stress majors or athletes) to examine the cross-cultural applicability and contextual adaptability of the model. In summary, this study provides strong evidence for understanding the psychological mechanisms through which physical exercise alleviates academic burnout. However, it also highlights several complex issues and unresolved questions in this field that warrant further exploration and verification in subsequent research.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study highlights the critical role of physical exercise in reducing academic burnout among college students, primarily through multiple indirect mechanisms rather than a direct effect. Specifically, it was found that (1) physical exercise formed a chain-mediated effect through mindfulness and self-efficacy, i.e., higher levels of physical exercise elevated mindfulness, which in turn enhanced self-efficacy and thus effectively reduced academic burnout; (2) physical exercise produced an independent mediating effect through mindfulness, which directly elevated the level of mindfulness and contributed to the alleviation of burnout; and (3) physical exercise has an independent mediating effect through self-efficacy, which directly enhances self-efficacy and thus reduces burnout. These findings provide important empirical support for understanding the complex influence of physical exercise on college students' academic burnout, and also provide new insights for future intervention practices.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eConflict of Interest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study received no additional funding.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by all authors. QL and HL designed the project. QL and HL conducted experiments. JC analyzed the data. QL wrote the manuscript. HL, JC, and QL collected the data. HL and JC revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTanks to all the participants and volunteers who provided support for this study\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1Mohammadi, S. D. Z. M. M. G., The Relationship between, Academic Motivation with Academic Burnout and Academic Achievement in Students. 8 10 (2021).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e2Jahrami, H. et al. 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L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D. \u0026amp; Kelly, D. R. Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals. \u003cem\u003eJ PERS SOC PSYCHOL\u003c/em\u003e 92 1087 (2007).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\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, academic burnout, college students, mindfulness, self-efficacy","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6529879/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6529879/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study explored the effects of physical exercise on academic burnout among college students and examined the mediating roles of mindfulness and self-efficacy. A total of 1120 college students (mean age\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;21.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.68 years) were assessed using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, The Positive Attention Scale, The General Self-Efficacy Scale, The Academic Burnout Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS PROCESS macro (model 6) for chain mediation analysis. Results revealed a significant negative correlation between physical exercise and academic burnout (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.348). In the mediation model, the total effect of physical exercise on academic burnout was \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.188, with a significant indirect effect of \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.174. The indirect effects include: mindfulness alone (\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.099, 52.66%), self-efficacy alone (\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.088, 46.81%), and a chain effect via both mindfulness and self-efficacy (0.012, 6.38%). The direct effect was non-significant (β = \u0026minus;0.014, 95% CI [\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.053, 0.025]), indicating full mediation. Notably, the positive chain mediation effect (0.012) reflects a suppressing effect due to the negative influence of mindfulness on self-efficacy. These findings highlight the indirect role of physical exercise in reducing academic burnout, with mindfulness and self-efficacy serving as key mediators. Promoting physical activity, alongside interventions to enhance mindfulness and self-efficacy, may effectively alleviate academic burnout among college students.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Effect of Physical Exercise on Academic Burnout in College Students—Chain Mediating Effect of Mindfulness and Self-efficacy","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-14 08:51:46","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6529879/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":"f7fe5b40-2fb9-41dd-8c69-93f6a9263b0b","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 14th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":48474097,"name":"Health sciences/Health care"},{"id":48474098,"name":"Health sciences/Risk factors"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-23T08:11:37+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-14 08:51:46","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6529879","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6529879","identity":"rs-6529879","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}