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Introduction: Adolescence is a high-incidence period for mental health problems. Evidence suggests that the family physical activity (PA) environment may shape adolescents' psychological well-being, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study examined whether the parent-child relationship and adolescents' own exercise behaviour serially mediate the association between the family PA environment and mental health among Chinese seniorhigh-school students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,049 senior-high-school students (mean age = 15.7 ± 1.2 years; 52 % girls) recruited from six provinces in China. Validated instruments were used to assess the family PA environment (Family Physical Activity Environment Questionnaire), mental health problems (Mental Health Diagnostic Test), parent-child relationship quality (Parent-Child Relationship Scale), and exercise behaviour (Physical Activity Rating Scale). Structural equation modelling was employed to test direct and indirect effects, with sex, age, and socioeconomic status as covariates. Results: < 0.001). The parent-child relationship and exercise behaviour each independently mediated this association (indirect effect β = 0.09, 95 % CI 0.06-0.12; β = 0.07, 95 % CI 0.04-0.10, respectively). A significant chain-mediating effect was also observed (β = 0.05, 95 % CI 0.03-0.07), indicating that a supportive family PA environment improved relationship quality, which in turn promoted exercise behaviour and subsequently better mental health. The total mediated effect accounted for 41 % of the overall association. Discussion: Findings underscore the family PA environment as a critical determinant of adolescents' mental health. Intervention programmes that simultaneously strengthen family-based physical activity and parent-child relationship quality may confer synergistic benefits for adolescent psychological well-being.
Feng et al. (Thu,) studied this question.