Biomechanical perspectives on college students' psychological well-being and their impact on academic performance

Academic performance among college students is prejudiced by a complex interplay of psychological well-being, physical activity, and biomechanical health. While previous research has often focused on individual factors such as mental health or physical activity, there is a growing need for an integrative approach to understand how these elements interact and collectively impact academic performance. This study aims to explore these relationships among 126 students from four universities in China, using a comprehensive methodology that includes psychological assessments (GHQ-28, PSS, MHI), wearable activity trackers for physical activity and sleep monitoring, and biomechanical evaluations through motion capture and electromyography (EMG). The study adopts a multi-faceted analytical approach, including hierarchical regression, path analysis, and latent variable modelling. Hierarchical regression revealed that psychological factors alone explained 21.1% of the variance in GPA (R2 = 0.211), while adding biomechanical and physical activity factors increased the explanatory power to 35.0% (R2 = 0.350). Path analysis indicated that psychological well-being had a direct negative effect on academic performance (β = −0.41, p < 0.001) and an indirect effect mediated through physical activity (indirect β = −0.089, p = 0.0021). Latent variable modelling demonstrated that psychological well-being, physical activity, and biomechanical health constructs collectively explained 52% of the variance in academic performance. © 2024 by author(s).