The relationship between physical activity and academic burnout among Yi primary school students in Southwest China: a moderated chain-mediation model

Objective This study examines the impact of physical activity on academic burnout among Yi elementary school students in Southwest China, as well as the mediating roles of psychological resilience and loneliness, and the moderating effect of grade level. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,104 Yi elementary school students (grades 5 ~ 6) in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Participants completed standardized measures of physical activity, mental toughness, loneliness, and academic burnout. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis and moderated chain mediation modeling with bootstrapping. Results Physical activity is negatively correlated with loneliness and academic burnout, and positively correlated with mental toughness. Mediation analysis revealed three significant pathways: 1) the mediating effect of mental toughness alone (57% of the total effect), 2) the mediating effect of loneliness alone (26%), and 3) Chain-mediated effect between the two (17%). Grade level significantly moderated the final path from loneliness to academic burnout ( B = 0.084, SE = 0.042, p < 0.05), with the effect being stronger for sixth graders. Conclusion Physical activities alleviate academic burnout by reducing loneliness through enhanced mental toughness. The stronger association between loneliness and burnout among senior students underscores the necessity of implementing developmentally appropriate interventions.