Study on the Mechanism of Exercise Intervention on College Students' Mental Health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202512_8(12).0034Keywords:
Exercise Intervention, College Students, Mental Health, Mechanism of ActionAbstract
Objective:To systematically summarize the research progress of exercise intervention on college students' mental health, clarify the mechanisms by which exercise improves anxiety, depression, stress, sleep disorders and other issues, and provide evidence-based basis for promoting mental health in colleges and universities. Methods: Retrieve relevant literature from Chinese and English databases (CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, Web of Science) in the past ten years, screen randomized controlled trials, longitudinal studies and systematic reviews involving college students, and summarize the effects and mechanisms of exercise intervention. Results: Studies have shown that regular exercise can significantly reduce college students' anxiety and depression levels, lower subjective stress, and improve attention, executive function and sleep quality. At the mechanism level, exercise exerts positive effects through multiple pathways: Physiologically, it promotes the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), regulates the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and reduces cortisol levels, thereby alleviating stress responses; Psychologically, exercise enhances self-efficacy, attention control and emotion regulation ability, and improves psychological resilience; Socially, group exercise activities improve social support and interpersonal connection, and reduce loneliness. There are differences in intervention effects among different exercise forms. Aerobic exercise and mind-body integrated exercise (such as yoga and tai chi) are more effective in reducing stress and improving mood. Conclusion: Exercise intervention is an effective way to improve college students' mental health, and its mechanism involves multiple physiological, psychological and social levels. Future research needs to strengthen large-sample, long-term longitudinal tracking and multimodal measurement to reveal the differentiated effects and sustainable mechanisms of exercise intervention, and provide practical paths for college mental health services.
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