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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1572256
This article is part of the Research TopicMotivations For Physical Activity - Volume IIIView all 15 articles
Hope as a predictor of physical activity behavior in middle-aged and older adults with musculoskeletal pain
Provisionally accepted- Department of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, United States
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Background Musculoskeletal pain is a barrier to physical activity, enhancing functional decline in older adults. Thus, identifying psychological factors that promote physical activity in older adults with musculoskeletal pain is warranted. Prior research shows that the psychological construct of hope predicts the frequency of exercise in healthy younger adults. However, the impact of hope on physical activity behavior in an older population with clinical pain is unknown. This observational study was designed to determine whether hope predicted selfreported and objective physical activity levels in older adults with musculoskeletal pain. Methods Fifty-two middle-aged to older adults (age range 55-85 years; 67% female) completed all assessments. Participants completed questionnaires to assess hope (Adult Hope Scale), selfreported physical activity (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly), bodily pain (SF-36), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia), and pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale). Participants also wore accelerometers on the hip for one week to objectively measure physical activity levels. Correlations were conducted to determine relationships between variables. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to determine whether hope predicted selfreported and objective physical activity levels after controlling for relevant demographics, pain, and other psychological variables. Results. After controlling for bodily pain, hope significantly predicted self-reported physical activity and was associated with greater physical activity levels. Bodily pain, but not hope, significantly predicted average daily steps derived from the accelerometer. Decreased bodily pain was associated with more daily steps. Conclusion. These findings suggest that trait hope could be a key psychological predictor of self-reported physical activity in older adults with musculoskeletal pain. Clarifying the role of hope in the physical activity behavior of older adults could present a novel target for intervention.
Keywords: Trait hope, pathways, physical activity, Musculoskeletal Pain, older adults
Received: 06 Feb 2025; Accepted: 14 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kessler, Teegardin, Kaleth and Naugle. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kelly Marie Naugle, Department of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, United States
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