Associations Among family environment, self-identity, cognitive emotion regulation strategy use, and physical activity in adolescents: A multi-theory integration perspective

In recent years, insufficient physical activity among adolescents has emerged as a significant threat to their physical and mental health. Physical activity is known to be associated with a variety of individual and environmental factors. This study aimed to examine the association between family environment and adolescent physical activity, as well as the sequential mediating effects of self-identity and cognitive emotion regulation strategy use in this relationship.

A cross-sectional study design was employed, involving 620 adolescents aged 12–16 years from three secondary schools in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Data were collected using paper-based questionnaires, including the Brief Family Environment Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short Form, the Self-Identity Scale, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. After excluding invalid responses, 589 valid questionnaires were retained, yielding an effective response rate of 95.0%.

Statistical analyses, including normality tests, descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, regression analyses, and mediation analyses, were conducted using SPSS 29.0 and the PROCESS macro (Version 4.2). Significant correlations were observed among family environment, physical activity, self-identity, and cognitive emotion regulation strategy use. Self-identity and cognitive emotion regulation strategy use demonstrated a significant sequential indirect association between family environment and physical activity.

The direct association between family environment and physical activity accounted for 63.37% of the total association, while the sequential indirect pathway—family environment → self-identity → cognitive emotion regulation strategy use → physical activity—accounted for 2.91% of the total association. Family environment is significantly associated with adolescent physical activity, and this association is partially mediated sequentially through self-identity and cognitive emotion regulation strategy use. These findings provide novel empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between family environment and adolescent physical activity, and offer valuable insights for future research in this area.

Department of General Education, Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China Department of Physical Education, Guangxin District No.10 Primary School, Shangrao, Jiangxi, China School of Physical Education, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China College of Education for the Future, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China College of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China College of Physical Education, Shangrao Normal University, Shangrao, Jiangxi, China The authors declare no competing interests. The experimental methods involving all human participants in this study strictly adhered to relevant guidelines and regulations. Moreover, the experimental protocol of this study has been approved by the Academic Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University.

All the experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines established by the committee, as well as the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments or equivalent ethical standards, ensuring the ethical compliance of the research. We confirm that informed consent was obtained from all the participants. The authors confirm that this manuscript represents original research, has not been published in any other journal or publication, and is not under simultaneous consideration by any other journal.