Exploring the Moderating Role of Resilience on the Relationship between Sedentary Time and Perceived Stress : An Experience Sampling Study

To promote student health and well-being, it is essential to investigate how sedentary behaviour is associated with perceived stress over time. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between sedentary time (ST) and perceived stress over time and whether there are variations at a within- and between-person level. ST was measured both for the past day and for the past 30 minutes. Resilience was investigated as a potential moderator of this relationship. To achieve this, an experience sampling methodology was conducted with 25 students who filled in three daily questionnaires for a period of two weeks consecutively. Linear mixed models showed that the relationship between ST and perceived stress was not significant. Furthermore, for the 30-min ST scale, significant between-person associations were found. Resilience was not found to be a moderator on the relationship between ST and perceived stress. However, there was a significant negative relationship between resilience and perceived stress. Thus, the longitudinal design revealed a more pronounced association when comparing short-term ST and perceived stress across students. These findings can inform future research to investigate possible factors that might influence these variables in university students.