How does rest intolerance affect physical exercise? A dual-pathway mediation model of exercise adherence and psychological resilience.

Objective: This study investigated the influence of rest intolerance on physical exercise levels among university students. It examined the independent mediating roles of exercise adherence and psychological resilience, as well as their serial mediation through exercise motivation. Methods: A survey was administered to 24,979 university students from 155 institutions across 17 provinces in China. The survey included the Rest Intolerance Scale-8 (RIS-8), Exercise Adherence Scale, Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale, Exercise Motivation Profile for Physical Activity (MPAM-R), and Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3). Data were analysed using SPSS 27.0 with the PROCESS macro, employing 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap resamples to test mediation effects. Results: Correlation analysis revealed that rest intolerance exhibited significant positive correlations with exercise adherence (r = 0.059) and exercise motivation (r = 0.006), whilst showing significant negative correlations with physical exercise (r = -0.016) and psychological resilience (r = -0.196). Exercise adherence, psychological resilience, and exercise motivation all demonstrated significant positive correlations with physical exercise. Logistic regression analysis indicated that rest intolerance significantly reduced the likelihood of achieving higher exercise levels (moderate vs. low: OR = 0.992; high vs. low: OR = 0.987). Exercise adherence emerged as the strongest predictor (OR = 1.126-1.247), whilst psychological resilience exhibited inconsistent minor association across exercise level comparisons. Gender, year group, and BMI also significantly influenced the attainment of exercise levels. Mediation analysis revealed that rest intolerance had no significant total association on physical exercise (Effect = -0.021), yet exhibited a significant direct negative association (β = -0.063, p < 0.001), demonstrating a classic suppression effect. Exercise adherence produced a significant positive mediation effect (Effect = 0.066), while psychological resilience alone showed no significant mediation. Both chain mediations were significant but directionally opposite: 'rest intolerance → exercise adherence → exercise motivation → physical exercise' exhibited negative chain mediation (Effect = -0.020); 'rest intolerance → psychological resilience → exercise motivation → physical exercise' exhibited positive chain mediation (Effect = 0.003). The total indirect effect was significant (Effect = 0.042). Conclusion: Rest intolerance exerts a direct inhibitory association on physical exercise, yet its indirect pathways exhibit dual-directional influences through 'behavioural persistence promotion' and 'motivation depletion inhibition', thereby obscuring the overall association. Exercise adherence serves as the most critical positive mediator, while diminished motivation quality constitutes a negative chain mechanism. Interventions targeting university students with high rest intolerance must concurrently guide healthy persistence strategies and enhance motivational autonomy alongside psychological resources.