The role of peer relationships and flow experience in the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety in middle school students

The present study examined the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety by testing a moderated mediation model that focused on how peer relationships mediate the relationship between physical exercise and social anxiety and how flow experience moderates this mediated relationship. A total of 1056 middle school students from six middle schools in Sichuan, China, volunteered to complete questionnaires comprising the Physical Activity Rating Scale, Student Peer Relationship Scale, Social Anxiety Subscale of the Self-Consciousness Scale, and Short (9-Item) Dispositional Flow Scales. Regression analysis indicated that physical exercise negatively influenced social anxiety through peer relationships (indirect effect = -0.04, 95% CI = [-0.067, -0.013]). In addition, a moderated regression analysis indicated that under high-flow experience, physical exercise suppresses social anxiety through positive effects on peer relationships (indirect effect = -0.04, 95% CI = [-0.087, -0.003]), and under low-flow experience, physical exercise exacerbates social anxiety through negative effects on peer relationships (indirect effect = 0.06, 95% CI = [0.016, 0.105]). Some practical implications have been discussed on the physical exercise intervention for suppressing social anxiety in middle school students.