The impact of parenting styles on physical activity among adolescents: the mediating role of psychological resilience

TL;DR

This study shows that parenting styles affect adolescents' physical activity levels, with psychological resilience playing a key role in this relationship.

Contribution

The study identifies psychological resilience as a mediator between parenting styles and adolescent physical activity.

Findings

Girls and higher-grade students showed different physical activity patterns compared to boys and lower-grade students.

Parental emotional warmth positively predicts physical activity, while paternal rejection negatively predicts it.

Psychological resilience partially explains how parenting styles influence physical activity levels in adolescents.

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of parenting styles and psychological resilience on physical activity (PA) levels in junior high school students, and to examine the mediating role of resilience in this relationship.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 336 adolescents (195 boys, 141 girls) from Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province, China. Data were collected using the Chinese versions of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A), the Short-Form Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran for Children (s-EMBU-C), and the Adolescent Resilience Scale. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation coefficients, logistic regression, and hierarchical multiple regression were used to explore the associations among variables. Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 4, 5,000 bootstraps samples).

(1) Gender and grade differences in PA were significant: girls were more likely to be in the low-PA group, while boys were more likely to be in the medium- or high PA groups. As grade level increased, the proportion of students in the low-PA group decreased, the medium-PA group increased, and the high PA remained stable (p < 0.01). No urban-rural differences were observed. (2) Parenting styles were significantly associated with PA levels: parental emotional warmth was positively correlated with PA, whereas paternal rejection was negatively correlated; overprotection showed weaker but still significant effects. (3) Hierarchical regression revealed that parental emotional warmth was a strong positive predictor of PA, while paternal rejection was a negative predictor. The final model explained 49.8% of the variance in total PAQ scores. (4) Psychological resilience mediated the relationship between parenting styles and PA. Emotional warmth had both direct and indirect effects on PA through resilience, while paternal rejection and overprotection influenced PA indirectly, with paternal rejection exerting the strongest negative indirect effect.

Greater parental emotional warmth and lower levels of paternal rejection are associated with increased PA levels among adolescents, with psychological resilience acting as a key mediator. These findings underscore the importance of strategies that promote positive parenting and resilience to enhance PA and support adolescent development.

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