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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1446295
This article is part of the Research Topic Mind-body medicine and its impacts on psychological networks, quality of life, and health - Volume II View all 30 articles

The impact of mind-body exercise on the quality of life in older adults: the chain mediation effect of perceived social support and psychological resilience

Provisionally accepted
Qingqing Yang Qingqing Yang Yinkai Zhang Yinkai Zhang Shiying Li Shiying Li *
  • Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: With the intensification of the global aging trend, there is a contradiction between the extended lifespan and the decline of physiological functions among the elderly. It has become a global consensus to focus on and improve the quality of life for the elderly. Mind-body exercises (Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing) play a crucial role in promoting the quality of life for older adults, but the mechanisms and mediating effects are not yet clear. Objective: This study examines the impact of mind-body exercises (Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing) on the quality of life in older adults, with a particular focus on exploring the chain mediating effects of perceived social support and psychological resilience. Results: The study results show that mind-body exercises (Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing) are significantly and positively correlated with the quality of life in older adults (r = 0.549, p < 0.01). The path coefficients for the relationships mind-body exercise → perceived social support (β = 0.46, p < 0.001) → psychological resilience (β = 0.20, p < 0.001) → quality of life in older adults (β = 0.39, p < 0.001) are significant, indicating that perceived social support and psychological resilience have a chain mediating effect between mind-body exercise and the quality of life in older adults. Conclusion: Mind-body exercises not only improve the quality of life for older adults but also indirectly enhance it by strengthening perceived social support and psychological resilience. This study provides significant reference for developing health intervention strategies targeted at older adults, suggesting that promoting mind-body exercises can improve their sense of perceived social support and psychological resilience, thereby increasing their quality of life.

    Keywords: mind-body exercise, perceived social support, psychological resilience, quality of life in older adults, the chain mediation effect

    Received: 09 Jun 2024; Accepted: 20 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Zhang and Li. 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: Shiying Li, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China

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