Abstract Background Individuals experiencing mood disorders exhibit significant impairments in self-cognition and psychological adaptation, which can easily lead to impaired social functioning and a decline in quality of life. Ethnic sports, through cultural identity, group interaction, and physical participation, may provide social support resources for individuals with mood disorders and promote the reconstruction of self-cognition. However, existing research largely focuses on psychotherapy or pharmacological interventions, with insufficient exploration of the role of ethnic sports in psychosocial interventions. Therefore, this study, through empirical analysis, reveals the pathways by which participation in ethnic sports contributes to the reconstruction of self-cognition in individuals with mood disorders and explores the mediating mechanisms of psychosocial support, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for integrating mental health interventions with cultural and sports activities. Methods A study selected 250 participants aged 18-45 with emotional disorders from communities and psychological rehabilitation institutions in Beijing and Yunnan Province, and randomly divided them into the experimental group (n = 125) and the control group (n = 125). The Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were adopted (MSPSS) assess the clarity of self-awareness and the level of perceived social support. The experimental group participated in ethnic sports training for 12 weeks, three times a week, for 90 minutes each time, while the control group maintained their daily activities without intervention. After the intervention, the scale was evaluated again, and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the subjective experiences of the participants at the same time. The data were processed through Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), regression analysis and Bootstrap model of mediating effects to verify the role of ethnic sports in self-cognitive reconstruction and psychosocial support mechanisms. Results After the intervention, the experimental group's mean SCCS score was 68.4 ± 6.7, significantly higher than the control group (52.1 ± 7.3, p.01), indicating that ethnic sports activities can effectively improve the self-awareness clarity of the group experiencing emotional dysregulation. The experimental group's overall MSPSS score was 72.6 ± 5.9, also significantly higher than the control group (59.8 ± 6.2, p.01). Among these, emotional support and peer support showed the most significant improvement. Mediation analysis results showed that psychosocial support played a partial mediating role between participation in ethnic sports activities and self-awareness reconstruction (the mediating effect accounted for 41% of the total effect, p.01), indicating that ethnic sports activities indirectly promote self-awareness improvement by enhancing social connections and providing psychological comfort. Interview data further showed that participants experienced an increase in self-worth reconstruction and social belonging through teamwork, cultural identity, and skill mastery. Discussion Research indicates that ethnic sports programs can significantly promote the reconstruction of self-cognition in individuals experiencing mood disorders by providing psychosocial support. This finding emphasizes that sports intervention not only has physical health benefits but also significant psychosocial value. Future recommendations suggest incorporating ethnic sports programs into the design of personalized intervention programs for mental health rehabilitation practices. Further research could explore the types of sports, participation intensity, and long-term maintenance effects, providing a scientific basis for the integration of mental health intervention with culture and sports.
Xiaofei Wang (Sun,) studied this question.