{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T04:46:27Z","timestamp":1785818787414,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785801600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This cross-sectional study investigated the cross-sectional associations among college students\u2019 perceived physical literacy, sports-environment belongingness, and mental well-being. It explored whether belongingness statistically mediated the physical literacy\u2013well-being link, whether exercise groups (classified via Godin-Shephard Leisure Score) moderated the belongingness\u2013well-being relationship, and examined interactive associations of high school and university sports participation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>During the fall of 2025 (September to November), an online survey yielded 890 valid responses. Participants completed the Perceived Physical Literacy Instrument, Sports-Environment Belongingness Scale, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and Godin-Shephard Physical Activity Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using OLS regression, Bootstrap-based mediation, moderation models, and two-way ANOVA.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Controlling for academic stress and body mass index, perceived physical literacy was positively associated with mental well-being (\n                      <jats:italic>b<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.360,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). Sports-environment belongingness served as a partial statistical mediator in this link (indirect estimate\u202f=\u202f0.169, 95% CI [0.131, 0.209]), accounting for 46.9% of the total association. Exercise group did not moderate the belongingness\u2013well-being association (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.900), nor did past and current sports participation present interactive associations. Sensitivity analysis indicated that including mild-intensity activities substantially increased the proportion of students classified as physically active.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Perceived physical literacy is positively related to college students\u2019 mental well-being, a relationship partially explained by sports-environment belongingness. These cross-sectional findings underscore the value of inclusive, psychologically safe sports environments, reflecting statistical associations rather than causality.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1896855","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T04:28:03Z","timestamp":1785817683000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Physical literacy, sense of belonging in the sports environment, and college students\u2019 mental health: an analysis of relational paths based on differences in exercise groups"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Zhenlei","family":"Zhao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education, Hunan City University","place":["Yiyang, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Linfeng","family":"Xue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education, Communication University of Zhejiang","place":["Hangzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1123\/apaq.24.2.103","article-title":"Inclusion in physical education: a review of the literature from 1995-2005","volume":"24","author":"Block","year":"2007","journal-title":"Adapt. 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