Chen Hanwen, Lu Tianci, Sui Haoran, Tao Baole, Chen Hao, Yan Jun
Collage of Physical Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Department of Physical Education, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211103, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 5;15(1):15689. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00947-x.
The study aimed to explore the bidirectional causal relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in older adults using a multi-wave follow-up design, expanding on established evidence of a bidirectional relationship between physical activity and depression in older adults. Drawing on individual-level tracking data from the China Family Panel Studies (2016, 2018, and 2020), the causal relationship was tested using fixed effects and cross-lagged panel models. Results indicated that physical exercise was a significant negative predictor of depression in older adults across both continuous (β=-0.056, p < 0.001) and categorical variables (β=-0.536, p < 0.001). After controlling for unobserved confounders, physical exercise continued to have a significant negative impact on depressive symptoms (β=-0.024, p < 0.05; β=- 0.210, p < 0.05). Cross-lagged analyses revealed that physical exercise significantly influenced depressive symptoms only during the T1→T2 phase (β=-0.073, p < 0.001), while depressive symptoms negatively predicted physical activity in later phases (β=-0.068, p < 0.001; β=-0.082, p < 0.001). This finding underscores that while physical exercise can positively impact depressive symptoms in older adults, it may not be sufficient during public health crises or social emergencies. A holistic approach, incorporating social support and psychological interventions, is essential for more effective prevention and management of depressive symptoms.
该研究旨在采用多波跟踪设计，探讨老年人身体活动与抑郁症状之间的双向因果关系，以扩展老年人身体活动与抑郁之间双向关系的现有证据。利用中国家庭追踪调查（2016年、2018年和2020年）的个体层面跟踪数据，使用固定效应和交叉滞后面板模型对因果关系进行了检验。结果表明，无论是连续变量（β=-0.056，p<0.001）还是分类变量（β=-0.536，p<0.001），体育锻炼都是老年人抑郁的显著负向预测因子。在控制了未观察到的混杂因素后，体育锻炼对抑郁症状仍有显著的负面影响（β=-0.024，p<0.05；β=-0.210，p<0.05）。交叉滞后分析显示，体育锻炼仅在T1→T2阶段对抑郁症状有显著影响（β=-0.073，p<0.001），而抑郁症状在后期对身体活动有负向预测作用（β=-0.068，p<0.001；β=-0.082，p<0.001）。这一发现强调，虽然体育锻炼可以对老年人的抑郁症状产生积极影响，但在公共卫生危机或社会紧急情况期间可能还不够。采用综合社会支持和心理干预的整体方法，对于更有效地预防和管理抑郁症状至关重要。
