ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Aging
Sec. Healthy Longevity
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1630343
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Physical Activity in Healthy Aging: Mechanisms and InterventionsView all 17 articles
Quantifying the relationship between physical performance and mental well-being in older adults: field research
Provisionally accepted
Robert Jarai1
Erzsébet Stephens-Sarlós2Ferenc Ihász2
Celal Bulgay3Ádám Balog4Anna Horváth-Pápai4
Zoltán Alföldi2Eliza E. Tóth5
Angela Somogyi2Robert Podstawski6
Attila Szabo2*- 1University of Miskoc, Miskolc, Hungary
- 2Széchenyi István University, Gyor, Hungary
- 3Bingöl University, Bingöl, Türkiye
- 4University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
- 5Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- 6University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland
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Although the relationship between functionality, as reflected in physical performance (PHP), and mental health in older adults has been researched, its strength remains unclear. This field study aimed to determine the strength of this relationship in adults aged 60 and above using seven PHP indices and six psychological measures. We individually tested 114 older adults. Objective measures included six PHP indices consisting of the Senior Test and handgrip strength. Subjective measures included resilience, well-being, happiness, perceived stress, hopelessness, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed two latent constructs: PHP and mental well-being (MWB): robust fit (MLR): χ²(75) = 136.28, p < .001; CFI = .967; TLI = .960; RMSEA = .066 (90% CI [.000, .128]); SRMR = .088. The latent partial correlation between PHP and MWB (adjusted for Age) was φ = .46, indicating ~21% shared variance. The correlation between the two latent factors was moderate (r = .46), suggesting that other unassessed factors might account for the relationship. Based on objective PHP and subjective MWB measures, these results suggest a modest connection, with the two latent constructs sharing ~1/5 of their variances. Consequently, further research is needed to identify other factors affecting the studied relationship in older adults. These cross-sectional findings, suggesting a moderate association, should be interpreted with caution. Still, they support recommending physical activity as one component of broader, multi-domain strategies to support the well-being of older adults.
Keywords: Aging, fitness, functionality, Mental Health, Structural Equation Modeling
Received: 17 May 2025; Accepted: 08 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jarai, Stephens-Sarlós, Ihász, Bulgay, Balog, Horváth-Pápai, Alföldi, Tóth, Somogyi, Podstawski and Szabo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Attila Szabo, Széchenyi István University, Gyor, Hungary
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