Path of Physical Exercise’s Impact on Deviant Behavior Among Chinese Adolescents

Purpose Physical exercise is an important predictor of deviant behavior in adolescents; however, the paths and mechanisms underlying this relationship remain understudied. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study used education tracking data of 8725 Chinese adolescents (4453 males, 4240 females, average age 14 ± 0.73) to construct a chain mediation model to explore whether sleep quality and mental health mediated the relationship between physical exercise and adolescent deviant behavior. Results The results show that physical exercise cannot directly predict adolescent deviant behavior; however, it can indirectly affect deviant behavior through the mediating effect of sleep quality and mental health as well as the chain mediating benefit of “sleep quality–mental health”. Conclusion Sleep quality and mental health are important internal factors of physical exercise that inhibit deviant adolescent behavior. The lack of physical activity and poor sleep quality should be prioritized in interventions regarding deviant behavior among Chinese adolescents.