Deyan Liu,1 Yuge Tian,1 Min Liu,2 Shangjian Yang1 

1School of Physical Education, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, People’s Republic of China; 2Comprehensive Department, Jinan Mass Sports Development Center, Jinan, 250101, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Shangjian Yang, School of Physical Education, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, People’s Republic of China, Email yangshangjian@sdu.edu.cn

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical exercise and sleep quality among college students, focusing on the chain mediating roles of perceived stress and ruminative thinking.
Participants and Methods: A total of 955 college students completed questionnaires, including the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Ruminative Thinking Response Scale (RRS). The PROCESS macro Model 6 and Bootstrap methods were used to analyze the mediating effects of perceived stress and ruminative thinking.
Results: (1) Negative correlations were found between physical exercise and sleep quality (r = − 0.361, p < 0.01), perceived stress (r = − 0.393, p < 0.01), and ruminative thinking (r = − 0.503, p < 0.01). Positive correlations existed between sleep quality and perceived stress (r = 0.477, p < 0.01), as well as between sleep quality and ruminative thinking (r = 0.549, p < 0.01), and perceived stress and ruminative thinking (r = 0.550, p < 0.01). (2) Physical exercise significantly impacted college students’ sleep quality directly, with an effect size of − 0.074. The relative proportion of indirect effects mediated by perceived stress and ruminative thinking was 20.59%, with individual effect sizes of − 0.085 and − 0.135 respectively, accounting for 23.89% and 37.93% of the total effect. (3) Additionally, there was a chain mediation effect with an effect size of − 0.063, representing 17.59% of the total effect.
Conclusion: Physical exercise can reduce perceived stress to alleviate ruminative thinking, thereby improving sleep quality. The findings of this study provide a scientific basis for the development of mental health education and intervention strategies in colleges. Colleges should offer diverse physical activities and improve facilities to encourage student participation in exercise. College students should recognize the importance of physical exercise in enhancing sleep quality, actively engage in physical activities, learn psychological adjustment techniques, and cultivate healthy lifestyle habits.

Keywords: physical exercise, sleep quality, perceived stress, ruminative thinking, chain mediation