Physical activity and psychological distress among older adults in China: a three-wave random-intercept cross-lagged study
Abstract
BackgroundPhysical activity and psychological distress are relevant to aging well, but their prospective relationship within an individual remains uncertain. We examined this relationship, together with time patterns and gender differences, among older adults recruited at senior education institutions in China.MethodsParticipants were surveyed in March, July, and December 2025. We measured physical activity with the PARS-3 and psychological distress with the raw DASS-21 total. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model separated stable between-person differences from within-person deviations and adjusted for available demographic covariates. All 1,392 baseline participants were included using robust maximum likelihood with full information maximum likelihood. Secondary mixed repeated-measures ANOVAs examined time, gender, and their interaction in 1,137 three-wave completers.ResultsHigher-than-usual activity was associated with lower subsequent distress at both intervals (β = −0.099 and −0.127; p = 0.018 and 0.003). The reverse estimate was negative with a confidence interval including zero at the first interval (β = −0.062, p = 0.143) and positive at the second (β = 0.086, p = 0.024). Women reported higher distress (partial η2 = 0.0113); the gender difference in activity was very small (partial η2 = 0.0034). The distress time effect was small (partial η2 = 0.0033), and no activity time effect or time-by-gender interactions were detected.ConclusionActivity above an individual’s usual level preceded lower distress at both intervals, with modest associations and no consistent negative reverse pattern. Women’s higher observed distress and the small mean changes complement this account of activity and emotional health among older learners.
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BibTeX
@article{xu2026physical,
title = {{Physical activity and psychological distress among older adults in China: a three-wave random-intercept cross-lagged study}},
author = {Jianzheng Xu and Dong Zhu and Bin Chen and Chang Hu and Bo Xu},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1921562},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1921562},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Physical activity and psychological distress among older adults in China: a three-wave random-intercept cross-lagged study
AU - Jianzheng Xu
AU - Dong Zhu
AU - Bin Chen
AU - Chang Hu
AU - Bo Xu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1921562
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1921562
AB - BackgroundPhysical activity and psychological distress are relevant to aging well, but their prospective relationship within an individual remains uncertain. We examined this relationship, together with time patterns and gender differences, among older adults recruited at senior education institutions in China.MethodsParticipants were surveyed in March, July, and December 2025. We measured physical activity with the PARS-3 and psychological distress with the raw DASS-21 total. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model separated stable between-person differences from within-person deviations and adjusted for available demographic covariates. All 1,392 baseline participants were included using robust maximum likelihood with full information maximum likelihood. Secondary mixed repeated-measures ANOVAs examined time, gender, and their interaction in 1,137 three-wave completers.ResultsHigher-than-usual activity was associated with lower subsequent distress at both intervals (β = −0.099 and −0.127; p = 0.018 and 0.003). The reverse estimate was negative with a confidence interval including zero at the first interval (β = −0.062, p = 0.143) and positive at the second (β = 0.086, p = 0.024). Women reported higher distress (partial η2 = 0.0113); the gender difference in activity was very small (partial η2 = 0.0034). The distress time effect was small (partial η2 = 0.0033), and no activity time effect or time-by-gender interactions were detected.ConclusionActivity above an individual’s usual level preceded lower distress at both intervals, with modest associations and no consistent negative reverse pattern. Women’s higher observed distress and the small mean changes complement this account of activity and emotional health among older learners.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -