Perceived Stress and Health Complaints: An Examination of the Moderating Roles of Personality and Physical Activity

275 undergraduate university students were asked to complete a battery concerning their health complaints, perceived stress, strenuous physical activity, and personality (“Big Five” traits). An hierarchical regression showed that Stress and Strenuous Physical Activity Participation, but not Personality, predicted the Number of Health Complaints in this sample. Also, there was a significant interaction for Stress by Strenuous Activity indicating individuals who did not frequently engage in strenuous leisure-time physical activity reported more health complaints than those who did. This finding corroborates the notion that physical activity (or fitness) may serve to attenuate the relation between stress and health complaints.