A latent profile analysis of physical activity participation patterns and mental health among university students: the mediating role of emotion regulation

Physical activity is an important contributor to mental health, yet university students differ markedly in how they engage in physical activity in daily life. Beyond overall activity level, distinct combinations of activity intensity, walking engagement, and sedentary tendency may carry different implications for psychological well-being. This study examined heterogeneous patterns of self-reported physical activity among college students and their associations with depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, with particular attention to the mediating role of emotion regulation ability. A total of 1,059 Chinese college students completed an online survey assessing self-reported physical activity, emotion regulation ability, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and perceived stress. Four distinct physical activity patterns were identified, ranging from low activity with stronger sedentary tendency to high activity with stronger walking engagement. Clear and graded differences in mental health outcomes were observed across these patterns. Students characterized by low activity and stronger sedentary tendency reported the highest levels of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, whereas those characterized by high activity with stronger walking engagement exhibited the most favorable mental health profiles. Mediation analyses further indicated that emotion regulation ability significantly mediated the associations between physical activity patterns and all three mental health outcomes. Higher levels of self-reported physical activity, particularly patterns involving stronger walking engagement and lower sedentary tendency, were associated with better emotion regulation ability, which in turn explained lower psychological distress. These findings underscore the importance of considering how physical activity is subjectively structured in everyday life rather than focusing solely on overall activity level, and highlight emotion regulation as a key psychological mechanism linking physical activity patterns to mental health among university students.