AUTHOR=Fang Yuan , Xu Tingting , Hong Siyu , Li Changquan , Sun Qunqun , Gou Hao , Wen Zhongju 

TITLE=The relationship between physical exercise and Chinese college students’ career decision-making difficulties: a chain mediating model of psychological capital and employment attitude

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1693354

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1693354

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=ObjectivesBy exploring the intrinsic connection between physical exercise and career decision-making difficulties (CDMD), this study aims to provide new theoretical insights and practical strategies for understanding and improving career decision-making among college students, as well as enhancing their decision-making capabilities.MethodsNon-probability convenience sampling was employed to administer an online questionnaire to college students at two universities in Guizhou Province, China. To validate the research hypotheses, a structural equation model was constructed. The bootstrap method facilitated 5,000 repeated random samples, with a significant mediating effect indicated if the 95% confidence interval did not include 0.Results(1) Physical exercise exhibits a significant negative association with CDMD. (2) Psychological capital serves as a mediator in the relationship between physical exercise and CDMD. (3) A chained mediating pathway exists between physical exercise and CDMD, operating through psychological capital and employment attitudes. (4) Urban–rural differences exert a moderating effect on the “physical exercise → psychological capital → CDMD” path.ConclusionThis study reveals that physical exercise is associated with college students’ CDMD through both the single mediating effect of psychological capital and the chain mediating effect of psychological capital and employment attitudes. Physical exercise demonstrates significant potential for alleviating CDMD among college students. By constructing a chain mediation model, this study addresses the research gap regarding the mechanisms linking physical exercise to CDMD, laying a theoretical foundation for future empirical studies on using physical exercise as an intervention for CDMD. This model represents an innovative attempt to explore multiple pathways for alleviating college students’ CDMD, while also expanding the application of the psychological capital theory in the field of career development. The model established in this study can be integrated into physical education and vocational education curricula in higher education, thereby enhancing college students’ career decision-making capabilities. It provides a theoretical basis and practical pathways for innovating relevant courses. Future studies can build on this research to further optimize intervention strategies that utilize physical exercise to alleviate CDMD, addressing existing limitations in the research.