The Effect Of Physical Exercise On College Students' Anxiety: The Mediating Effect Of Coping Styles

Anxiety is a common negative emotion among undergraduate and graduate students.It will have a certain impact on students' mental health.Previous studies have shown that exercise can alleviate anxiety,but there are few studies on the third variable between the two variables.This research aimed to investigate the mediation of the dimensions of coping style between exercise and state and trait anxiety through questionnaire research and intervention research,and analyze the embodied mechanism behind it.In this study,two studies were conducted to investigate the influence of exercise on the state and trait anxiety of undergraduate and graduate students,and the mediating effect of coping styles in various dimensions,and whether the combined effect of music and exercise was stronger.The first study was a questionnaire study.Undergraduate and graduate students of several universities in Guangdong province were tested by using Physical Activity Rating Scale-3,State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Coping Style Questionnaire.The effects of coping style on state and trait anxiety were discussed through mediating effect test.The second study was intervention study,which verifies the mediating effect of coping style through longitudinal study,and investigates the joint effect of music and exercise.120 college students were divided into the intervention group and the control group to receive sports interventions,and were tested before and after intervention.The results from within groups and between the groups were compared.The results are as follows:1)There was a nagetive correlation between exercise and state-trait anxiety.And exercise was positively correlated with mature coping styles such as problem solving and seeking help,negatively correlated with immature coping styles such as self-accusation,fantasy and retreat.2)Problem solving,seeking help and retreat,the three dimensions of coping style,were mediators of exercise and state-trait anxiety,but this effect wasn't significant after the intervention of running.3)Problem solving,as a coping method,had a marginal significant mediating effect on trait anxiety of runners with high state anxiety.4)Long-term and regular running could alleviate students' state and trait anxiety,and perfect their coping styles,but for students with different anxiety levels,the effect was significantly different.