ArticleBMC psychology2025
The association between physical activity and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults: the chain mediating roles of sleep duration and cognitive function.
Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- The joint association of sleep duration and physical activity with frailty among older adults: the first evidence from CHARLS.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- The relationship between physical activity and mental health in middle-aged and older Chinese adults: a moderated mediation and cross-lagged model.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDepression exhibits a high prevalence among the elderly population, posing a significant burden on public health. Although extensive research confirms that physical activity can alleviate depressive symptoms, there is insufficient evidence regarding the chain-mediated role of sleep duration and cognitive function in this process. This study aims to investigate the chain-mediating effects of sleep duration and cognitive function in the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults.
methodsData were drawn from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), with 4,744 adults aged 60 and older meeting inclusion criteria. Using correlation analysis, one-way ANOVA, and chained mediation models (PROCESS macro model 6), we examined the direct and indirect effects of physical activity on depressive symptoms via sleep duration and cognitive function.
results(1) There was a significant correlation between physical activity, sleep duration, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms (P < 0.01). (2) Sleep duration and cognitive function significantly mediated the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms. The three indirect pathways were physical activity → sleep duration → depressive symptoms (β = -0.111, 95% CI [-0.166, -0.061], 19.1% of total effect); physical activity → cognitive function → depressive symptoms (β = -0.173, 95% CI [-0.258, -0.088], 29.8%); and physical activity → sleep duration → cognitive function → depressive symptoms (β = -0.011, 95% CI [-0.019, -0.004], 1.9%).
conclusionSleep duration and cognitive functioning act as chain mediators between physical activity and depressive symptoms in older adults, i.e., physical activity can improve sleep duration in order to enhance cognitive functioning and, in turn, improve depressive symptoms in older adults.
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