Temporal dynamics of physical activity intentions and attitudes under goal conflict and time pressure in university...

In high-pressure university settings characterized by goal conflict and time pressure, health behaviors are often deprioritized. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and Goal Conflict Theory, this study employed a 2 (goal conflict: high vs. low) × 2 (time pressure: high vs. low) × 4 (time: Week 1-4) mixed experimental design to examine the dynamic evolution of health behavior motivation under dual stress conditions. A total of 88 college students were tracked over four weeks, with repeated measures of their intention and attitude toward executing health behaviors. Results revealed a significant linear decline in implementation attitudes over time, while behavioral intention remained relatively stable. Both high goal conflict and high time pressure independently suppressed motivation, and group differences widened over time. Notably, a significant three-way interaction emerged, with the high-conflict/high-pressure group exhibiting the steepest motivational decline. These findings illuminate the dissipative dynamics of health behavior motivation under cognitive and temporal constraints, extend temporal models of behavioral motivation, and offer theoretical foundations for time management interventions and health promotion strategies in academic environments.