{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T17:23:42Z","timestamp":1788456222398,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,10]],"date-time":"2026-06-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781049600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Youth Foundation Project of Humanity and Social Sciences for the Ministry of Education in P.R. China","award":["24YJC890061"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["24YJC890061"]}]},{"name":"Youth Project of National Social Sciences Foundation in P.R. China","award":["25CTY032"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["25CTY032"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012226","name":"Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["QNMS2517"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["QNMS2517"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012226","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Guangdong Education Sciences Planning Project","award":["2024GXJK206"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024GXJK206"]}]},{"name":"Hundred-Step Ladder Climbing Plan Project of South China University of Technology","award":["j2tw202602092"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["j2tw202602092"]}]},{"award":["j2tw202602092"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["j2tw202602092"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0530pts50","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Students\u2019 Research Planning Program at South China University of Technology","award":["X202610561715"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["X202610561715"]}]},{"award":["X202610561715"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["X202610561715"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0530pts50","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"National Training Program of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Undergraduates","award":["202610561139"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["202610561139"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Previous research has documented certain associations between physical exercise and sleep quality, yet little is known about the potential influencing mechanisms and boundary conditions underlying them. Thus, the present study aims to examine the potential mediating role of depressive symptoms and the moderating effect of physical health in this relationship. Using the individual-level survey data of 1613 emerging adults aged 18\u201325 from the China Family Panel Studies (Mage = 20.45 years, SDage = 1.32; 53.8% female), the common method bias test, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, mediation effect analysis, moderation effect analysis, and simple slope test were sequentially performed using SPSS 27.0, with the significance level set at 5%. The results disclosed that depressive symptoms may play a partial mediating role between physical exercise and sleep quality among emerging adults, and physical health significantly moderated the association between physical exercise and depressive symptoms, indicating a stronger negative association among emerging adults with worse physical health compared to those with better physical health. In addition, exploratory analyses suggested that physical health may also moderate the associations between physical exercise and sleep quality, as well as between depressive symptoms and sleep quality. These findings suggest that emerging adults with lower physical health may often accompany higher depressive symptoms and poorer sleep quality, and also highlight the importance of actively engaging in physical exercise and developing regular exercise habits in daily life to effectively address this problem.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16060956","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T06:57:17Z","timestamp":1781161037000},"page":"956","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The Moderated Mediation Role of Depressive Symptoms and Physical Health in the Relationship Between Physical Exercise and Sleep Quality Among Emerging Adults"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-6262-2337","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lijun","family":"Zuo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China"},{"name":"Children\u2019s Health and Exercise Research Centre, Department of Public Health and Sport Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9559-247X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guan","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"e43595","article-title":"The effect of physical activity on sleep quality and sleep disorder: A systematic review","volume":"15","author":"Alnawwar","year":"2023","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1177\/1090198104263660","article-title":"Health promotion by social cognitive means","volume":"31","author":"Bandura","year":"2004","journal-title":"Health Education & Behavior"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102121","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smrv.2025.102121","article-title":"Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of insomnia: A systematic literature review-based analysis","volume":"82","author":"Benjafield","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sleep Medicine Reviews"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"554","DOI":"10.1007\/s11920-015-0554-4","article-title":"Sleep disturbances as an evidence-based suicide risk factor","volume":"17","author":"Bernert","year":"2015","journal-title":"Current Psychiatry Reports"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1123\/ijspp.2018-0073","article-title":"Influence of exercise time of day on salivary melatonin responses","volume":"14","author":"Carlson","year":"2019","journal-title":"International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1007\/s00406-024-01764-5","article-title":"The prevalence of poor sleep quality in the general population in China: A meta-analysis of epidemiological studies","volume":"274","author":"Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"eabd9502","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.abd9502","article-title":"Exercise mimetics and JAK inhibition attenuate IFN-\u03b3-induced wasting in engineered human skeletal muscle","volume":"7","author":"Chen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Science Advances"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Corr\u00eaa, M. G., Lob\u00e3o, T. A., Bahia, G. M. D. C., Aires, E. M. S., Gomes, R. D. C., Medeiros de Queiroz, J. H., Monteiro, M. C., and Bahia, C. P. (2025). Biochemical neuroplasticity in the cerebellum after physical exercise: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 20, (8).","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0309259"},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"104","article-title":"The benefits of exercise for the clinically depressed","volume":"6","author":"Craft","year":"2004","journal-title":"Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Darko, J., Manuel, V., Wagner, M. O., Filip, M., Miriam, R., and Britta, R. (2015). Prediction of attendance at fitness center: A comparison between the theory of planned behavior, the social cognitive theory, and the physical activity maintenance theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 6.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2015.00121"},{"key":"ref_11","first-page":"8856621","article-title":"Effects of physical exercise on neuroplasticity and brain function: A systematic review in human and animal studies","volume":"2020","author":"Santos","year":"2020","journal-title":"Neural Plasticity"},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Duncan, G. J., and Murnane, R. J. (2010). Whither opportunity? Rising inequality, schools, and children\u2019s life chances, Russell Sage Foundation."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2324","DOI":"10.1111\/jcmm.14170","article-title":"Depression in sleep disturbance: A review on a bidirectional relationship, mechanisms, and treatment","volume":"23","author":"Fang","year":"2019","journal-title":"Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1334","DOI":"10.1249\/MSS.0b013e318213fefb","article-title":"American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: Guidance for prescribing exercise","volume":"43","author":"Garber","year":"2011","journal-title":"Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101565","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smrv.2021.101565","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis of poor sleep, insomnia symptoms and stress in undergraduate students","volume":"61","author":"Gardani","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sleep Medicine Reviews"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"935","DOI":"10.1038\/s41586-024-07538-2","article-title":"Sleep loss diminishes hippocampal reactivation and replay","volume":"630","author":"Giri","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"630","DOI":"10.1080\/1612197X.2021.1891121","article-title":"Group exercise membership is associated with forms of social support, exercise identity, and amount of physical activity","volume":"20","author":"Golaszewski","year":"2022","journal-title":"International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3315","DOI":"10.2147\/RMHP.S499489","article-title":"Relationship between physical exercise and risk of depression: An assessment of intermediate variables","volume":"17","author":"Gong","year":"2024","journal-title":"Risk Management and Healthcare Policy"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"566","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2018.0572","article-title":"Association of efficacy of resistance exercise training with depressive symptoms: Meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of randomized clinical trials","volume":"75","author":"Gordon","year":"2018","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"41","DOI":"10.1026\/0943-8149\/a000153","article-title":"Ersch\u00f6pfung und engagement im studium","volume":"24","author":"Gusy","year":"2016","journal-title":"Zeitschrift f\u00fcr Gesundheitspsychologie"},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach, Guilford Press."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Herbert, C. (2022). Enhancing mental health, well-being and active lifestyles of university students by means of physical activity and exercise research programs. Frontiers in Public Health, 10.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.849093"},{"key":"ref_23","first-page":"80","article-title":"Behavior and promotion of college students\u2019 home-based physical exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"54","author":"Hu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Journal of Wuhan Institute of Physical Education"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e49","DOI":"10.1017\/SJP.2021.46","article-title":"Mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: Concepts, computations, and common confusions","volume":"24","author":"Igartua","year":"2021","journal-title":"The Spanish Journal of Psychology"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3547","DOI":"10.1093\/eurheartj\/ehz564","article-title":"Mortality reduction with physical activity in patients with and without cardiovascular disease","volume":"40","author":"Jeong","year":"2019","journal-title":"European Heart Journal"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"353","DOI":"10.1249\/MSS.0000000000002800","article-title":"Exercise\/physical activity in individuals with type 2 diabetes: A consensus statement","volume":"54","author":"Kanaley","year":"2022","journal-title":"Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2013.10.059","article-title":"A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: Towards a model of compensatory internet use","volume":"31","year":"2014","journal-title":"Computers in Human Behavior"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smrv.2017.07.002","article-title":"The effect of resistance exercise on sleep: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials","volume":"39","author":"Kovacevic","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sleep Medicine Reviews"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"427","DOI":"10.1007\/s10865-015-9617-6","article-title":"The effects of physical activity on sleep: A meta-analytic review","volume":"38","author":"Kredlow","year":"2015","journal-title":"Journal of Behavioral Medicine"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1186\/s12576-021-00812-2","article-title":"Exercise-induced oxidative stress and melatonin supplementation","volume":"71","author":"Kruk","year":"2021","journal-title":"Journal of Physiological Sciences"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104","DOI":"10.1016\/j.trd.2015.11.002","article-title":"Living with aircraft noise: Airport proximity, aviation noise and subjective wellbeing in England","volume":"42","author":"Lawton","year":"2016","journal-title":"Transportation Research Part D"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"393","DOI":"10.1093\/abm\/kaab055","article-title":"Naturally occurring consecutive sleep loss and day-to-day trajectories of affective and physical well-being","volume":"56","author":"Lee","year":"2022","journal-title":"Annals of Behavioral Medicine"},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Maymon, R., and Hall, N. C. (2021). A review of first-year student stress and social support. Social Sciences, 10, (12).","DOI":"10.3390\/socsci10120472"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.21315\/mjms2020.27.5.2","article-title":"Exercise interventions as the primary treatment for depression: Evidence from a narrative review","volume":"27","author":"Ismail","year":"2020","journal-title":"Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1317","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(21)01258-7","article-title":"Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19: A review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990\u20132050","volume":"398","author":"Micah","year":"2021","journal-title":"The Lancet"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ssresearch.2014.02.006","article-title":"Measurement equivalence of the CES-D 8 depression-scale among ageing populations","volume":"46","author":"Missinne","year":"2014","journal-title":"Social Science Research"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e075847","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj-2023-075847","article-title":"Effect of exercise for depression: Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials","volume":"384","author":"Noetel","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"440","DOI":"10.1037\/bul0000410","article-title":"Sleep loss and emotion: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"150","author":"Palmer","year":"2024","journal-title":"Psychological Bulletin"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1111\/sms.12581","article-title":"Exercise as medicine\u2014Evidence for prescribing exercise as therapy in 26 different chronic diseases","volume":"25","author":"Pedersen","year":"2015","journal-title":"Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"503","DOI":"10.1007\/s40596-014-0205-9","article-title":"College students: Mental health problems and treatment considerations","volume":"39","author":"Pedrelli","year":"2015","journal-title":"Academic Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1873","DOI":"10.1152\/physrev.00038.2020","article-title":"Exercise under heat stress","volume":"101","author":"Eijsvogels","year":"2021","journal-title":"Physiological Reviews"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.88.5.879","article-title":"Common method biases in behavioral research","volume":"88","author":"Podsakoff","year":"2003","journal-title":"Journal of Applied Psychology"},{"key":"ref_43","first-page":"86","article-title":"The association between sleep duration and hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"12","author":"Qi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Journal of General Internal Medicine"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"45","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-med-060619-022943","article-title":"The role of exercise in management of mental health disorders: An integrative review","volume":"72","author":"Smith","year":"2021","journal-title":"Annual Review of Medicine"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"zpaf083","DOI":"10.1093\/sleepadvances\/zpaf083","article-title":"Global prevalence of insomnia symptoms in undergraduate university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"6","author":"Spyridonidis","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sleep Advances"},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, J., Xu, X., Zuo, L., Wang, H., and Yang, G. (2024). Mobile phone addiction and insomnia among college students in China during the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Public Health, 12.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1338526"},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2237","DOI":"10.1007\/s00127-025-02853-z","article-title":"Associations of various internet device use and activities with depression in Chinese adolescents: Gender and geographical differences","volume":"60","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology"},{"key":"ref_48","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2025, March 02). Depressive disorder (depression), Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/depression."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107955","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ypmed.2024.107955","article-title":"The optimal exercise intervention for sleep quality in adults: A systematic review and network meta-analysis","volume":"183","author":"Xie","year":"2024","journal-title":"Preventive Medicine"},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e34897","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000034897","article-title":"The effect of Baduanjin exercise on the physical and mental health of college students: A randomized controlled trial","volume":"102","author":"Zhang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Medicine"}],"container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/16\/6\/956\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,13]],"date-time":"2026-06-13T04:34:57Z","timestamp":1781325297000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/16\/6\/956"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,10]]},"references-count":50,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]}},"alternative-id":["bs16060956"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/bs16060956","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-328X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-328X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,10]]}}}