The influence and mechanism of Taichi Chuan on improving mental health in adolescents: The chained mediating effect of meaning in life and psychological resilience

This study explored the main effect of Taichi Chuan on adolescents' mental health, as well as the heterogeneous influencing factors. Two separate studies were conducted on 722 Chinese adolescents from one secondary school in Guangzhou. We used the method of statistical analysis to analyze the scales designed to assess their Taichi Chuan, meaning in life, psychological resilience and mental health. In Study 1, the practice of Taichi Chuan exhibits a substantial positive impact on mental health (β = 1.125, p < 0.001). Additionally, meaning in life and psychological resilience have a mediating effect on the relationship between Taichi Chuan and mental health. Intriguingly, both mediators play a chained mediating role in the impact of Taichi Chuan on adolescents' mental health, with an effect size of 0.035 (95%CI: [0.001, 0.045], p < 0.01). Study 2 re-evaluated the hypotheses, incorporating age and grade as control variables, and confirmed that Taichi Chuan enhances mental health (β = 0.257, p < 0.05). A chain mediation effect was observed with meaning in life and psychological resilience as mediators (effect size = 0.106, 95 % CI: [0.025, 0.226], p < 0.05). The findings of study 2 were consistent with those of study 1.Embodied cognition theory posits that the integration of internal psychological processes with external bodily dynamics leads to a state of harmony and unity. The conclusions of this study integrate the principles of Taichi Chuan with embodied cognition theory, not only can alleviate the individual distress and family burdens associated with adolescents' mental health, but also promote the integrative development of martial arts education in middle schools.