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

This 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.