The Role of Sleep and Exercise in Alleviating Depression and Enhancing Resilience among College Students

A recent study finds that higher physical activity predicts lower depressive symptoms among college students, an effect largely explained by improved psychological resilience and, to a smaller extent, better sleep.

The team performed a large cross-sectional, observational chain-mediation analysis in an undergraduate sample using validated self-report instruments. The design and measures are straightforward: standard activity questionnaires, the CD-RISC-10 for resilience, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index for sleep, and a self-rating depression scale for symptoms. Clinically, the take-home is that lifestyle factors—when considered together—explain substantial variation in student mood and suggest integrated prevention strategies.

Psychological resilience accounted for the largest indirect share linking exercise and depression, contributing roughly 48.67% of the total indirect effect in the reported chain mediation analysis. Higher physical-activity scores predicted greater resilience on the CD-RISC-10, and higher resilience predicted lower depressive symptoms. The magnitude of the resilience-mediated path was markedly larger than the sleep-mediated path, positioning resilience-enhancing activity as a plausible mechanistic route to reduce student depression.

Exercise also improved sleep quality, which in turn related to lower depressive symptoms, but this sleep-mediated route was smaller—about 14.09% of the total indirect effect—and was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Sleep problems remained a significant predictor of higher depression scores even after adjusting for resilience, indicating that improving sleep is a complementary, operational target alongside resilience-focused work.

Overall, physical exercise showed a modest direct association with lower depression plus indirect effects through resilience and sleep that together explain most of the observed relationship in students. The practical implication is clear: multi-component behavioral programs that combine exercise prescription, structured resilience training, and sleep-hygiene strategies will likely produce the largest benefits for college mental health. Campus programs embedding these elements can broaden prevention and early-intervention reach for at-risk students.