Published
2025-04-24
Section
Research Articles
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Bingqian Cheng, Zagdkhorol Bayasgalan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The journal adopts the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), which means that anyone can reuse and redistribute the materials for non-commercial purposes as long as you follow the license terms and the original source is properly cited.
Author(s) shall retain the copyright of their work and grant the Journal/Publisher rights for the first publication with the work concurrently licensed since 2023 Vol.8 No.2.
Under this license, author(s) will allow third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content under the condition that the authors are given credit. No permission is required from the authors or the publisher.
This broad license intends to facilitate free access, as well as the unrestricted use of original works of all types. This ensures that the published work is freely and openly available in perpetuity.
By providing open access, the following benefits are brought about:
- Higher Visibility, Availability and Citations-free and unlimited accessibility of the publication over the internet without any restrictions increases citation of the article.
- Ease of search-publications are easily searchable in search engines and indexing databases.
- Rapid Publication – accepted papers are immediately published online.
- Available for free download immediately after publication at https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP

Copyright Statement
1.The authors certify that the submitted manuscripts are original works, do not infringe the rights of others, are free from academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, and that there are no disputes over the authorship scheme of the collaborative articles. In case of infringement, academic misconduct and confidentiality issues, as well as disputes over the authorship scheme, all responsibilities will be borne by the authors.
2. The author agrees to grant the Editorial Office of Environment and Social Psychology a licence to use the reproduction right, distribution right, information network dissemination right, performance right, translation right, and compilation right of the submitted manuscript, including the work as a whole, as well as the diagrams, tables, abstracts, and any other parts that can be extracted from the work and used in accordance with the characteristics of the journal. The Editorial Board of Environment and Social Psychology has the right to use and sub-licence the above mentioned works for wide dissemination in print, electronic and online versions, and, in accordance with the characteristics of the periodical, for the period of legal protection of the property right of the copyright in the work, and for the territorial scope of the work throughout the world.
3. The authors are entitled to the copyright of their works under the relevant laws of Singapore, provided that they do not exercise their rights in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Journal.
About Licence
Environment and Social Psychology is an open access journal and all published work is available under the Creative Commons Licence, Authors shall retain copyright of their work and grant the journal/publisher the right of first publication, and their work shall be licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Under this licence, the author grants permission to third parties to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute and/or copy the content with attribution to the author. No permission from the author or publisher is required.
This broad licence is intended to facilitate free access to and unrestricted use of original works of all kinds. This ensures that published works remain free and accessible in perpetuity. Submitted manuscripts, once accepted, are immediately available to the public and permanently accessible free of charge on the journal’s official website (https://esp.as-pub.com/index.php/ESP). Allowing users to read, download, copy, print, search for or link to the full text of the article, or use it for other legal purposes. However, the use of the work must retain the author's signature, be limited to non-commercial purposes, and not be interpretative.
Click to download <Agreement on the Licence for the Use of Copyright on Environmental and Social Psychology>.
How to Cite
The effects of e-sports on college students' coping strategies for psychological stress
Bingqian Cheng
1 Open education center, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, 14191, Ulaanbaatar, 2 Department of Sports Training, Hebei Institute of Physical Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050041, China
Zagdkhorol Bayasgalan
Power Engineering School, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulaanbaatar, 14191,Mongolia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i4.3514
Keywords: e-sports; college students; psychological stress; coping strategies
Abstract
As an emerging stress management tool in the digital age, eSports exhibits significant bidirectional moderating effects in the college student population. This study integrates neurobehavioral and clinical psychological evidence to reveal that eSports participation enhances stress resilience in specific individuals through prefrontal cortex functional reinforcement and virtual social capital accumulation, but the benefits are characterized by a strict dose-dependence. Key data showed that systematic participation in team sports increased college students' stress response threshold stability by 19% and prefrontal decision-related brain region activity by 23%, while loneliness scale scores decreased by 37%. However, average weekly participation above the 18-hour threshold triggered an imbalance in the neurotransmitter system, resulting in a 37% increase in amygdala threat sensitivity, accompanied by a 27% increase in the risk of academic burnout. The study confirms that individual neuroticism constitutes a key regulatory variable: high openness groups can extract cross-domain coping strategies from e-sports experiences and transfer them 1 .9 times more efficiently than low openness groups, whereas dopaminergic reward pathway efficacy is attenuated by 42% in high openness groups, which significantly reduces stress buffering effects. A dynamic monitoring framework is proposed at the practical level, integrating HPA axis function testing with brain-derived neurotrophic factor level analysis to establish an individualized engagement protocol based on real-time biofeedback. These findings break through the binary division of traditional stress coping strategies and provide an interdisciplinary basis for higher education institutions to design precise digital mental health interventions, emphasizing the establishment of a new balanced paradigm between the development of neuroplasticity and the prevention and control of behavioral risks.
References
[1]. 1.Quan, G. , Xiao, H. , & Chen, Y. . (2025). Exploring the mechanisms influencing psychological adaptation in athletes in high-risk sports: a moderated mediation model. scientific Reports, 15( 1).
[2]. 2.Schweighart, R. , Thtz, J. , & Lbmann, N. R. . (2024). What needs do students have regarding health-promoting measures and which ones do they know about? a survey at two university locations. pravention und Gesundheitsforderung: ein Programm fur eine bessere Sozial- und Gesundheitspolitik, 19(2), 277-285.
[3]. 3.Dyshko, O. , Bielikova, N. , Tsos, A. , & Kosynskyi, E. . (2024). The influence of the educational process on the psychological state of students and teachers in physics culture and sports during the war. slobozhanskyi Herald of Science & Sport, 28(3).
[4]. 4.Jeukendrup, A. E. , Areta, J. L. , Van Genechten, L. , Langan-Evans, C. , Pedlar, C. R. , & Rodas, G. , et al. (2024). Does relative energy deficiency in sport (reds) syndrome exist? Sports medicine(11), 54.
[5]. 5.Lundstrom, E. A. , De Souza, M. J. , Koltun, K. J. , Strock, N. C. A. , Canil, H. N. , & Williams, N. I. . (2024). Wearable technology metrics are associated with energy deficiency and psychological stress in elite swimmers. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 19(4).
[6]. 6.Byshevets, N. , & Boikov, A. . (2023). Dynamics of psycho-emotional state and movement activity of students of higher educational institutions. Scientific Journal of National Pedagogical Scientific Journal of National Pedagogical University. Series 15. scientific and pedagogical problems of physical culture (physical culture and sports).
[7]. 7.Mandelbaum, S. A. , Diblasi, L. , Ossowski, A. , Keren, Y. , Pezzino, V. , & Russell, K. E. , et al. (2023). 72 neurocognitive and emotional symptoms of pediatric concussion due to physical assault: a case series. journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 29.
[8]. 8.Owusu-Ansah, G. E. M. M. , Anudu, E. E. M. , Ross, P. P. , Ierulli, V. K. M. , & Mulcahey, M. K. . (2023). Psychological readiness to return to sport after shoulder instability. JBJS Review, 11(9), 8.
[9]. 9.Antoniou, M. , Fradelos, E. C. , Roumeliotaki, T. , Malli, F. , Symvoulakis, E. K. , & Papagiannis, D. . (2024). Assessing mental resilience with individual and lifestyle determinants among nursing students: an observational study from greece. aims public Health, 11(3).
[10]. 10.Ptac, B. , Zgrean, A. M. , Botezatu, A. , Fudulu, A. , Cucu, N. , & Popa-Velea, O. , et al. (2024). The impact of health & wellness coaching intervention on the level of stress perceived physically/mentally/psychologically. Health, Sports & ; Rehabilitation Medicine, 25(2).
[11]. 11.Stern, B. D. , Deyle, E. R. , Hegedus, E. J. , Munch, S. B. , & Saberski, E. . (2024). Stress drives soccer athletes' wellness and movement: using convergent cross-mapping to identify causal relationships in a dynamic environment. International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance, 19(10).
[12]. 12.Manu, E. , Acquah, F. , Douglas, M. , Akitty, E. , Zanu, E. P. , & Ampomah, M. A. , et al. (2024). Betting high, feeling low: a cross-sectional examination of gambling severity and psychological distress among ghanaian youth. bmc public health, 24( 1), 1-13.
[13]. 13.Alexander, F. J. , Mastroianni, M. A. , Anderson, M. J. J. , Skaggs, K. , Swindell, H. W. , & Reynolds, A. W. , et al. (2024). Psychological impact and posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology after ulnar collateral ligament injuries in baseball players. orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 12(5).
[14]. 14.Doron, J. , Hayotte, M. , d'Arripe-Longueville, Fabienne, & Leprince, Chloé. (2024). Coping profiles of adolescent football players and association with interpersonal coping: do emotional competence and psychological need satisfaction matter? Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 34(1).
[15]. 15.Keren, T. H. , Gavaravarapu, S. M. , Ramesh, B. S. , & Yagnambhatt, V. R. . (2024). Sports nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practice questionnaire for indian adolescent athletes-an exploratory sequential mixed- method study. Sport Sciences for Health, 20(3).






