Mindfulness Exercise and Mental Health in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Mediating Roles of Coping Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation.
Yanqing Yan, Qiuxian Ye, Jifeng Dong, Shuxian Ye, Taiping Li
Clinical Interventions in Aging August 17, 2026 DOI: 10.2147/cia.s622746 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 450 |
| Population | Older adults in Guangdong Province, China |
| Intervention | Mindfulness exercise |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Cross-sectional studies Adaptation, psychological Self efficacy Mental health Middle aged China Female Emotional regulation Coping skills Emotion regulation Older adults Coping self-efficacy Mindfulness exercise |
| Key findings | Mindfulness exercise was positively associated with mental health among older adults, and coping self-efficacy and emotion regulation jointly showed a significant sequential mediating association between mindfulness exercise and mental health. The authors state that the cross-sectional design means these findings represent a theory-informed associative model rather than evidence of causality. |
Abstract
Background: Population aging has increased the importance of identifying behavioral and psychological factors associated with mental health in later life. Mindfulness exercise (ME), defined as mindful attention and awareness during physical activity, may be related to mental health; however, its underlying psychological mechanisms remain unclear.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 450 older adults in Guangdong Province, China. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with 5000 bootstrap resamples. Validated self-report scales were used to measure mindfulness exercise, coping self-efficacy (CSE), emotion regulation (ER), and mental health (MH).
Results: ME was positively associated with CSE, ER, and MH. Coping self-efficacy was positively associated with emotion regulation and mental health, and emotion regulation was positively associated with MH. Mediation analysis indicated that CSE and ER jointly demonstrated a significant sequential mediating association between ME exercise and MH.
Conclusion: ME is associated with mental health among older adults, potentially through coping self-efficacy and emotion regulation. However, given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as a theory-informed associative model rather than evidence of causality. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to further validate these relationships.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |