Exercise motivation, physical exercise, and mental health among college students: examining the predictive power of five different types of exercise motivation

Introduction The mental health (MH) of college students has long been a crucial concern for families, educational institutions, and society. Extensive research has demonstrated the influential role of exercise motivation in shaping MH. However, further investigation is warranted to ascertain which types of exercise motivation may have more influence on the MH of college students. The present study examined the direct effects of five distinct types of exercise motivation, namely health motivation (HM), appearance motivation (APM), fun motivation (FM), ability motivation (ABM), and social motivation (SM) on MH. Additionally, the study explored the potential mediating role of physical exercise (PE) in these relationships.Methods An cross-sectional study design was employed. A total of 433 Chinese college students participated in the study and completed our questionnaires, which included the Exercise motivation scale (EM scale), the Physical exercise scale (PE scale), and the Mental health scale (MH scale).Results The findings revealed a significant and positive relationship between all five categories of exercise motivation and the MH of college students. Specifically, FM was found to have the most pronounced impact on MH, followed by HM, ABM, SM, and APM, in descending order of influence. Furthermore, the impacts of HM, FM, ABM, and SM on MH were found to be partially mediated by PE. However, the association between APM and MH was entirely mediated by PE.Discussion The present study contributes to enhancing the comprehension of the underlying mechanisms behind different exercise motivations in relation to PE and MH. Additionally, it offers practical implications for developing intervention strategies for improving the MH of college students.