Relationship between Physical Activity, Perceived Stress, and Psychological Well-Being in University Students

Introduction. Perceived stress has reached concerning levels among university students, and physical activity (PA) has emerged as a relevant strategy for mitigation. This study aimed to examine whether perceived stress mediates the relationship between physical activity (PA), assessed as total volume, and IPAQ-SF intensity components (vigorous, moderate, and walking), and psychological well-being (PWB) in university students.

Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 103 students from the University of Málaga (21.7 ± 2.3 years). PA was assessed using the IPAQ-SF (MET-min/week), stress with the PSS-14, and PWB with the Ryff-39. Analyses included descriptive statistics, ANOVA/t-tests, Pearson/Spearman correlations, and a simple mediation model (PROCESS macro).

Results. Overall, 66.99% of participants reported high PA levels (≥3,000 MET-min/week). Total PA averaged 4,860 ± 3,497 MET-min/week (range = 0–12,852). Perceived stress (PSS-14) was 27.31 ± 9.30 points (range = 6-56), and global psychological well-being (RYFF_GLOBAL) averaged 4.40 ± 0.58 on a 1-6 scale. Total PA was negatively associated with perceived stress (r = −0.28; p = 0.005), and perceived stress was negatively associated with PWB (r = −0.46; p < 0.001). The indirect effect of PA on well-being through stress was significant (ab = 0.13; 95% CI [0.04, 0.24]). Students with high PA levels (≥3,000 MET-min/week) reported significantly lower perceived stress than those with low-to-moderate PA (p = 0.021).

Conclusions. Physical activity appears to contribute to university students’ psychological well-being primarily through its association with reduced perceived stress. University-based interventions should integrate regular exercise with stress-management strategies to optimize students’ psychological well-being.