ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1459236
Leisure Activities, Self-reported Health, Anxiety, and Depression in Chinese Older Adults: A Structural Equation Model Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdańsk, Pomeranian, Poland
- 2Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
- 3SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India
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Objectives: This study aimed to explore the interrelationships among leisure activities, self-reported health (SRH), anxiety, and depression in Chinese older adults using structural equation modeling (SEM).Methods: Data from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) were analyzed and 9,859 older adults were included in the analysis. The SEM was employed to examine the direct and indirect effects of leisure activities on depression through SRH and anxiety.Results: Leisure activities significantly positively influenced SRH (β= .18, p < .001) and negatively affected depression (β= -.16, p < .001) and anxiety (β= -.09, p < .001).SRH decreased depression (β= -.33, p < .001) and anxiety (β= -.33, p < .001), while anxiety increased depression ( β = .49, p < .001). SRH and anxiety mediated the relationship between leisure activities and depression.The findings support the proposed model and suggest that promoting leisure activities can improve mental health in Chinese older adults.
Keywords: Leisure Activities, Self-reported health, Anxiety, Depression, Chinese older adults. 1. Introduction
Received: 04 Jul 2024; Accepted: 11 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Song, Zhao and GOVINDASAMY. 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: Dr. KARUPPASAMY GOVINDASAMY, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India
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