Perceived stress and trait self-control interact with the intention-behavior-gap in physical activity behavior.

Pfeffer, Ines; Englert, Chris; Mueller-Alcazar, Annet (2019). Perceived stress and trait self-control interact with the intention-behavior-gap in physical activity behavior. Sport, exercise, and performance psychology, 9(2), pp. 244-260. American Psychological Association 10.1037/spy0000189

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Regular physical activity is an empirically well-documented health behavior. Despite the fact that many individuals intend to exercise, they often fail to implement this intention into behavior. Planning is an effective technique for translating physical activity intentions into actions. The present study aimed to examine relevant mediators and moderators in order to explain how and for whom intentions translate into action. In a longitudinal study, 108 participants (Mage = 31.17 years, 61 women) from different jobs completed measures for intention and trait self-control at baseline (T1), action planning and coping planning 4 weeks later (T2), and physical activity behavior and perceived stress another 4 weeks later (T3). A moderated mediation analysis indicated that perceived stress and trait self-control interact with physical activity intention to predict behavior. In particular, in individuals with low levels of perceived stress and medium–to-high trait self-control, intention and physical activity correlate positively. Unexpectedly, action planning facilitated behavior enactment only in individuals with low perceived stress and high trait self-control. In addition, when perceived stress and trait self-control were high, coping planning served as a significant mediator between intention and behavior. Our results highlight the moderating role of perceived stress and trait self-control in the context of intention and physical activity behavior. Under specific perceived stress levels, enactment of behavior based on intentions and planning is supported by high trait self-control. Examining potential mediators and moderators of the intention–behavior gap seems to be a fruitful approach to explain physical activity behavior.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Education > Educational Psychology
UniBE Contributor:	Englert, Christoph
Subjects:	300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 370 Education
ISSN:	2157-3905
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Language:	English
Submitter:	Christoph Englert
Date Deposited:	14 Apr 2020 16:19
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 15:37
Publisher DOI:	10.1037/spy0000189
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/140986