Physical exercise and depressive symptoms among older adults: a serial mediation model of self-rated health and subjective wellbeing

Abstract

Objective Physical exercise is an important health-promoting behavior for older adults, while depressive symptoms are a major psychological factor affecting their quality of life and active aging. This study aimed to examine the associations between physical exercise and depressive symptoms among older adults and to further explore the potential indirect pathways involving self-rated health and subjective wellbeing. Methods Using data from the 2023 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), a total of 2,233 older adults aged 60 years and above were included in the analysis. Multiple linear regression and serial mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Bootstrap sampling with 5,000 resamples was applied to test the significance of the mediating effects. Results Physical exercise was significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms among older adults, indicating that higher frequencies of exercise participation were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. In addition, physical exercise showed significant indirect associations with depressive symptoms through self-rated health (indirect effect = 40.5%) and subjective wellbeing (indirect effect = 9.7%), as well as through the serial pathway of “self-rated health → subjective wellbeing” (indirect effect = 3.8%). The total indirect effect (54%) was larger than the direct effect (46%), suggesting that a substantial proportion of the observed association between physical exercise and depressive symptoms was statistically accounted for by the indirect pathways examined in the model. Conclusion Higher frequency of physical exercise was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms among older adults, both directly and indirectly through self-rated health and subjective wellbeing. These findings highlight the potential relevance of physical exercise, self-rated health, and subjective wellbeing to mental health and active aging among older adults. Policies and interventions may consider strengthening support systems for older adults’ participation in physical exercise, while simultaneously addressing both physical and psychological wellbeing.