How physical exercise influences children’s social-emotional competence: an empirical study based on a chain mediation model

Social-emotional competence plays a crucial role in children’s development. The present study aimed to examine the effect of physical exercise on children’s social-emotional competence and to test the mediating roles of psychological resilience and self-efficacy in this relationship. Data were collected from 331 children (10.07 ± 1.14 years) in Guangdong Province, China, through a questionnaire survey assessing physical exercise, psychological resilience, self-efficacy, and social-emotional competence. The results showed that physical exercise was a significant positive predictor of children’s social-emotional competence. Both psychological resilience and self-efficacy exerted significant mediating effects between physical exercise and social-emotional competence. Specifically, three mediation pathways were identified: (1) the independent mediating effect of psychological resilience between physical exercise and social-emotional competence; (2) the independent mediating effect of self-efficacy between physical exercise and social-emotional competence; and (3) the chain mediating effect of psychological resilience and self-efficacy in the relationship between physical exercise and social-emotional competence. These findings elucidate the underlying mechanisms through which physical exercise influences children’s social-emotional competence and provide theoretical and practical evidence for promoting social-emotional competence in children.