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The association between parental physical activity and the parent–child relationship in early childhood: the serial mediating roles of emotion regulation and subjective wellbeing

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Objective: The parent-child relationship in early childhood is closely linked to children's physical and psychological development. Although parental physical activity has been associated with favorable psychological outcomes, little is known about how it relates to the parent-child relationship or about the potential roles of emotion regulation and subjective wellbeing. Accordingly, this study used structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized direct and indirect associations among these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 719 parents recruited through convenience and snowball sampling in six Chinese cities, including Chengdu, Suining, Meishan, Lanzhou, Xianyang, and Xi'an. All study variables were assessed by the same parent using the Physical Activity Rating Scale, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Brief Subjective Wellbeing Scale for Chinese Citizens, and the Child-Parent Relationship Scale. Data were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling in AMOS 23.0. Complementary PROCESS Model 6 analyses based on observed composite scores were conducted in SPSS 29.0. Results: < 0.001). (2) The completely standardized indirect estimate through emotion regulation was 0.041 (95% CI [0.020, 0.065]), while the estimate through subjective wellbeing was 0.050 (95% CI [0.030, 0.074]). The serial indirect estimate was 0.015 (95% CI [0.008, 0.023]). Conclusion: Higher levels of parental physical activity were associated with higher emotion regulation scores, greater subjective wellbeing, and a more positive parent-child relationship.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1771516

Authors: Xiaogang Zhang, Keyong Wang, Junmin Zhang, Shuiyou Hu, Jianqiang Tian

Institutions: Chengdu Sport University, Sichuan Technology and Business University

Language: English

Topic: Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801