Receptive Arts Engagement Activities and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults: Serial Indirect Associations Through Leisure-Related Relaxation and Subjective Well-Being

Depressive symptoms are a prevalent mental health concern among older adults. This study examined whether the frequency of receptive arts engagement was associated with depressive symptom scores through leisure-related relaxation and subjective well-being in a specified serial mediation model. Using cross-sectional data from the 2023 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), we analyzed 2332 adults aged 60 years or older. Hierarchical regression and bias-corrected bootstrap mediation analyses with 5000 resamples were conducted to examine the proposed model. We found that more frequent art activities were significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Three indirect associations were examined. The indirect association through leisure and relaxation alone was not significant, whereas the association through subjective well-being was the largest of the three tested pathways. A small serial indirect association through leisure and relaxation and subjective well-being was also identified. This model-specific pathway should not be interpreted as causal or as the primary mechanism of arts engagement. These findings describe one possible pathway linking receptive arts engagement to depressive symptoms among older adults. Further research should examine this pathway alongside other psychological, biological, social, and behavioral processes.