Mind-body exercise and anxiety in middle-aged and older adults: a sequential mediation model of emotion regulation and sleep quality.

Mind-body exercise was significantly and negatively associated with anxiety in middle-aged and older adults.

• The association between mind-body exercise and anxiety was statistically significant at p < 0.01.
• The study sample consisted of 382 middle-aged and older adults who regularly participated in mind-body exercise.
• A cross-sectional survey design was used with validated self-report scales including the PARS-3, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, PSQI, and GAD-7.
• Data analyses used SPSS 26.0 for descriptive statistics and correlations, and AMOS 24.0 for structural equation modeling.

Emotion regulation served as a significant mediator of the relationship between mind-body exercise and anxiety.

• Emotion regulation was identified as an independent mediator in the mind-body exercise–anxiety relationship.
• The mediation was tested using structural equation modeling in AMOS 24.0.
• The finding indicates that mind-body exercise may reduce anxiety in part by improving emotion regulation strategies.

Sleep quality served as a significant mediator of the relationship between mind-body exercise and anxiety.

• Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
• Sleep quality was identified as an independent mediator in the mind-body exercise–anxiety relationship.
• The mediation pathway suggests that mind-body exercise may reduce anxiety in part by improving sleep quality.

A sequential mediation pathway was supported in which mind-body exercise was associated with better emotion regulation, which in turn was associated with improved sleep quality, which was then associated with lower anxiety levels.

• The chain mediation model linked mind-body exercise → emotion regulation → sleep quality → anxiety in sequence.
• Better emotion regulation was associated with improved sleep quality, which in turn was related to lower anxiety levels.
• The sequential mediation was tested and supported using structural equation modeling.
• This pathway suggests emotion regulation and sleep quality jointly help explain how mind-body exercise relates to anxiety.

The study characterized emotion regulation and sleep quality as interconnected psychological processes linking mind-body practices to anxiety management in aging populations.

• The authors describe these findings as providing 'insight into the interconnected psychological processes linked with mind-body practices.'
• The results highlight the potential value of mind-body exercise as a non-pharmacological option for anxiety management in aging populations.
• The study population was specifically middle-aged and older adults who regularly participated in mind-body exercise.
• The cross-sectional design limits causal inference about the directionality of these associations.