Exploring the Links Between Physical Exercise, Peer Support, and Family Functioning and Adolescent Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience

Teenagers’ mental health is influenced by multiple factors, including physical exercise, peer support, and family functioning. Based on the stress-buffering theory, physical exercise, as a health-promoting behavior, helps alleviate stress, enhance emotional regulation, and thereby strengthen psychological resilience. Meanwhile, social support theory highlights the crucial role of peer support and family functioning as external protective resources in promoting mental health. However, existing research lacks an in-depth examination of how physical exercise as an individual behavior, together with peer support and family functioning as forms of social support, is associated with mental health through the mediating role of psychological resilience. Therefore, this study surveyed 967 adolescents using validated scales to examine the interrelationships between family functioning, physical exercise, peer support, and mental health, while also assessing the potential mediating effects of psychological resilience. The findings indicated that physical exercise, peer support, and family functioning were all positively associated with psychological resilience, which, in turn, mediated their effects on mental health. These results highlight how individual behaviors and social support mitigate stress’s impact on mental health through psychological resilience, providing new theoretical insights and practical implications for mental health interventions.