Resilience and Mental Health Among Regularly and Intermittently Active Older Adults: Results From a Four-Year Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Background: This study aims to investigate whether regularly active individuals have different levels of mental health and resilience compared to intermittently active individuals. Methods: In this 4-year longitudinal study, 180 older people were included. General linear models were used to assess the level of physical activity, psychological resilience, and mental health among regularly and intermittently active older adults. Results: Those who maintained regular physical activity were more resilient than those who did not. However, no differences were observed for mental health outcomes. Although those with higher levels of resilience had fewer mental health problems, there were no significant differences between the groups based on their level of physical activity. Conclusion: Differences in resilience levels favoring regularly active individuals were found. In both groups, resilience was inversely associated with mental health problems. These findings may help elucidate the underlying mechanisms in the relationship between physical activity and health outcomes.