Work

The effect of exercise intervention on prosocial behavior in junior high school students: the chain mediation effect of empathy and interpersonal relationships

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: This study aimed to explore the effects of exercise intervention on prosocial behavior in junior high school students and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: Using convenience cluster sampling, 90 students were selected from two first-grade classes at a secondary school, with 45 assigned to the experimental group and 45 to the control group. The experimental group participated in a 12-week basketball exercise program, consisting of three sessions per week, each accumulating 30 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The control group attended regular physical education classes as scheduled in the curriculum. Psychological scales were administered to assess variable levels before and after the intervention. Results: After the intervention, significant main effects of time and interaction effects between time and group were observed in empathy, interpersonal relationships, and prosocial behavior. A significant main effect of group was also found in prosocial behavior. Moreover, empathy and interpersonal relationships mediated the relationship between exercise intervention and prosocial behavior. Conclusions: Exercise intervention can improve empathy, interpersonal relationships, and prosocial behavior among junior high school students. Specifically, basketball exercise yielded significantly greater benefits than conventional physical education. Exercise indirectly promotes prosocial behavior through the separate mediating roles of empathy and interpersonal relationships, which also form a sequential mediation pathway between exercise intervention and prosocial behavior.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1723840

Authors: Shaohua Tang, Tianci Lu, Hanwen Chen, Baole Tao, Jun Yan

Institution: Yangzhou University

Language: English

Topic: Physical education and sports games research

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801