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Nowadays, due to the constantly changing environmental conditions and increasingly fierce competition, college students are facing more and more pressure in terms of academics, employment, and interpersonal issues, and mental health problems have gradually come to the fore (Ningning et al., 2020). The mental health of college students has become a key topic in college education. At present, the focus of attention on college students' mental health is mostly on the problem-oriented traditional pathology. However, with the rise of positive psychology in recent years, scholars have pointed out that mental health education should not only focus on psychological crises but also explore the potential positive psychological indicators of the individual to help students to obtain a higher positive experience (Di et al., 2022; Liang, 2023).
Resilience, which means adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, or significant sources of stress, could be regarded as an indicator of positive psychology (Masten, 2001). Previous studies have suggested that college students with higher levels of resilience were able to call upon positive psychological resources to cope with stress in a timely manner, resulting in more positive experiences (Zhen et al., 2023). Similar to resilience, self-efficacy could also be viewed as an indicator of positive psychology; self-efficacy represents a subjective judgment made by an individual as to whether or not they are successful in engaging in a particular achievement goal (Bandura et al., 1999). Individuals with a higher level of self-efficacy are likely to be more affirmative and proactive in their lives (Putwain et al., 2013). Similarly, positive emotions are the pleasant feelings that arise when something meaningful to an individual is positively evaluated in the process of its realization (Garland et al., 2010; Tong, 2015). Some scholars have found that positive emotions are linked to satisfaction, and higher positive emotions increase an individual's positive feelings and positive behaviors (Rui et al., 2013). In addition, the dual-factor model of mental health states that well-being is an important positive indicator of an individual's mental health (Greenspoon & Saklofske, 2001). Taken together, resilience, self-efficacy, positive emotion, and well-being are important in enhancing the level of positive psychology among college students.
Current research indicates that physical activities may be effective in improving positive psychology, such as yoga, running, running exercises, aerobics, and tai chi. For instance, one randomized controlled trial (RCT) study of college students demonstrated that both low and moderate intensity exercise had a positive effect on resilience and subjective well-being (Yuqing, 2023). Another RCT study in female college students suggested that aerobics was conducive to improving the level of self-efficacy (Yanan, 2022). However, an RCT conducted during a global pandemic revealed that aerobic–strength training exercise did not have an impact on resilience levels among college students (Marenus et al., 2023). Inconsistent results may be attributed to different types of participants, measurement tools, outcome indicators, and timing of interventions. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the effects of physical activity on positive psychology among college students.
To the best of our knowledge, there have been some systematic analyses to date that have explored the effects of physical activity on anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in college students, but positive psychology (resilience, self-efficacy, positive emotion, and well-being) has not been included. We conducted an up-to-date, comprehensive, systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of physical activity on positive psychology (resilience, self-efficacy, positive emotions, and well-being) among college students from the inception of the database through December 2023 to achieve the following objectives: