The Relationship between Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood and Behavioral Problems among Chinese Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Physical Activity and Self-Control

Emerging adulthood (EA) is a critical stage of life to develop and sustain a healthy lifestyle, which is also a time of vulnerability to poor physical and mental health outcomes. In this study, we conducted a path analysis (N = 1326) to examine associations among four dimensions of EA, levels of regular physical activity (PA), self-control, MPA tendency and irrational procrastination. Results found: 1) higher levels of PA predicted both MPA tendency ((3 = -0.08, 95% CI: -0.11 to -0.06, p < 0.001) and irrational procrastination ((3 = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.17 to -0.008, p < 0.01) indirectly via self-control; 2) Instability ((3 = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.18, p < 0.01) and Responsibility ((3 = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.10 to -0.08, p = 0.03) exerted direct effects on irrational procrastination and Instability also indirectly predicted irrational procrastination via MPA tendency ((3 = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.05, p < 0.01). These findings proved that perceived features of EA are linked to behavioral problems and supported that regular PA plays a crucial role to protect mental health.

Automated summary

In this study, a path analysis was conducted to examine the associations among dimensions of emerging adulthood, levels of physical activity, self-control, and procrastination. The results showed that regular physical activity predicted both self-control and irrational procrastination indirectly, while instability and responsibility had direct effects on procrastination. These findings highlight the importance of physical activity in protecting mental health.