Physical literacy and adolescent mental well-being: A chain mediation of basic psychological needs satisfaction and emotion regulation.

Authors

Bing Zhang

Published in

Frontiers in psychology. Volume 17. Pages 1950111. Epub Sep 11, 2026.

Abstract

Adolescent mental wellbeing is a pressing global concern. Physical literacy (PL) - the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value physical activity for life - has emerged as a potentially protective factor for mental wellbeing. However, the mechanisms linking PL to mental wellbeing remain poorly understood. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory and emotion regulation theory, this study examined whether basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS) and emotion regulation serve as sequential mediators in the PL-mental wellbeing relationship among adolescents.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in November 2024 with 687 Chinese middle school students from Hubei Province (48.3% female; aged 12-16 years), recruited using stratified cluster sampling from three public schools. Participants completed validated Chinese measures of physical literacy (PPLI), basic psychological needs (BPNSFS), emotion regulation (ERQ), and mental wellbeing (WEMWBS). Covariance-based structural equation modeling (robust maximum likelihood) with bias-corrected bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) tested the chain mediation model.
The final analytical sample comprised 687 adolescents (48.3% female), who reported moderate levels of PL (M = 3.42, SD = 0.68), BPNS (M = 3.56, SD = 0.62), cognitive reappraisal (M = 4.52, SD = 1.08), and mental wellbeing (M = 3.51, SD = 0.71). PL was positively associated with mental wellbeing (β = 0.38, p < 0.001), the standardized total effect estimated in the structural equation model. The direct effect remained significant (β = 0.14, p = 0.006). The chain mediation pathway - PL → BPNS → emotion regulation → mental wellbeing - was significant (indirect effect = 0.12, 95% CI [0.08, 0.17]), accounting for 31.6% of the total effect. Individual mediation paths through BPNS (indirect effect = 0.05, 95% CI [0.01, 0.09]) and emotion regulation (indirect effect = 0.07, 95% CI [0.04, 0.11]) were also significant. The model explained 42% of the variance in mental wellbeing.
These findings suggest that PL is associated with adolescent mental wellbeing through a sequential pathway involving BPNS and emotion regulation. The results highlight the potential value of PL development and need-supportive environments in educational settings. Future longitudinal research is needed to examine temporal dynamics.

PMID:
42798427
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.