How physical fitness influences academic burnout in elementary students: an interpersonal perspective

Relying on the philosophy of the union of the body and mind, physical fitness has significant impacts on students’ psychological health. The present study explored how physical fitness influences academic burnout from an interpersonal perspective in school aged children. School bullying victimization was examined as the interpersonal mediator in our research model. A total of 429 Chinese elementary students participated in this study. Physical fitness was objectively assessed by trained evaluators while school bullying victimization and burnout were self-reported in surveys. Interestingly, regression results showed that verbal and relational bullying rather than physical bullying mediated the relationship between physical fitness and burnout. Specifically, verbal bullying victimization mediated the relationship between physical fitness and academic exhaustion; and both verbal and relational bullying mediated the relationship between physical fitness and academic cynicism. These findings disclosed the nature of psychological functioning of physical fitness and provided initial evidence on the interpersonal mechanisms relating school aged children’s physical fitness performance to academic burnout. The theoretical and practical implications for the interpersonal mediators and the nature of different types of school bullying were discussed.