Entertainment Sedentary Time and Subjective Well-Being in College Students: A Moderation Model of Perceived Time Poverty

This study examined the association between entertainment sedentary time (EST) and subjective well-being (SWB) among Chinese college students and further explored the moderating role of perceived time poverty (PTP). A total of 1582 college students completed questionnaires assessing EST, PTP, SWB, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, multiple linear regression analysis, and moderation analysis using Model 1 of the PROCESS macro for SPSS (Version 4.2) were conducted. After adjustment for gender, grade, and MVPA, EST was significantly and negatively associated with SWB, although the association was weak. PTP was also significantly and negatively associated with SWB. The interaction between EST and PTP was statistically significant, indicating that PTP moderated the association between EST and SWB. Specifically, the negative association between EST and SWB was stronger among students with lower levels of PTP and weakened as PTP increased. Johnson–Neyman analysis further identified the ranges of PTP within which the conditional association between EST and SWB was statistically significant. These findings suggest that PTP may function as a contextual boundary condition of the association between EST and SWB and should be considered when interpreting this association.