Can middle school students counteract academic burnout through physical exercise? A cross-sectional study from China

ObjectiveThis study examined the association between physical exercise and academic burnout among Chinese middle school students and tested whether expressive suppression mediated this association.MethodsA questionnaire survey was conducted using random cluster sampling among middle school students from Guangdong, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Beijing, Henan, and Hainan, China. A total of 3,786 valid responses were obtained. Physical exercise, expressive suppression, and academic burnout were measured using validated scales. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, path analysis, and SEM-based mediation testing, with gender, age, and grade controlled as demographic covariates.Results(1) Physical exercise was significantly negatively correlated with academic burnout (β =, 0.192, p < 0.001); higher levels of physical exercise were associated with lower levels of academic burnout. (2) Physical exercise was significantly negatively correlated with expressive suppression (β =, 0.450, p < 0.001); higher levels of physical exercise were associated with a lower tendency toward expressive suppression. (3) Expressive suppression was significantly positively correlated with academic burnout (β = 0.330, p < 0.001); higher levels of expressive suppression were associated with more severe academic burnout. (4) Expressive suppression showed a significant partial statistical mediation in the association between physical exercise and academic burnout. The indirect effect was, 0.114 [95% CI: (, 0.120, 0.097)], accounting for 36.31% of the total effect.ConclusionHigher levels of physical exercise were associated with lower academic burnout among middle school students. This association was partially mediated by lower levels of expressive suppression. These findings provide preliminary evidence that school-based physical activity may be relevant to students’ academic adjustment and emotion regulation, but longitudinal and intervention studies are needed before drawing causal or policy-level conclusions.