The Nexus Between Sport Participation and Self-Confidence Among Vietnamese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Öz
Mental health challenges and declining confidence are increasingly salient among university students in Asian contexts, where academic and social pressures may heighten psychological stress. Using a cross-sectional survey design, this study examined the effect of sport participation on university students’ self-confidence while controlling for demographic variables. Students reported diverse participation patterns, with walking/jogging (74.1%), volleyball (48.5%), martial arts (46.4%), and badminton (43.6%) being the most common activities. An independent-samples t-test indicated significant gender differences in physical activity (PA) level, t(602.22) = –7.11, p < .001, with males reporting higher participation. Hierarchical regression showed that PA level positively predicted self-confidence (B = 0.171, p < .001), explaining 6.8% of the variance (R² = .067) after controlling for gender, academic year, and GPA. Among covariates, females reported lower confidence than males, academic year was positively associated with self-confidence, and GPA showed a small negative effect. Subgroup analyses suggested differences by training-companion categories; notably, students reporting ‘others’ had the lowest confidence, whereas those training with partners/classmates reported higher scores. Overall, the findings provide evidence that greater sport participation is associated with higher self-confidence among university students, highlighting sport as a potential psychological resource and practical pathway to foster resilience and holistic well-being in higher education by linking participation “dose,” social context, and demographic influences with confidence outcomes.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Sport Participation, Self-Confidence, Physical Activity Level, University Students
Destekleyen Kurum
Proje Numarası
Etik Beyan
Teşekkür
Kaynakça
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