Sedentary behavior and psychological distress among Chinese rural older adults: the role of spouse loss and physical exercise.

BACKGROUND: The moderating role of spouse loss and physical exercise remains understudied in the sedentary behavior - psychological distress relationship. We aimed to explore the association between sedentary behavior and psychological distress, as well as the role of spouse loss and physical exercise in this association among rural older adults. METHODS: The data came from the wave 3 of Shandong Rural Elderly Health Cohort (SREHC). A total of 3,235 rural older adults were included in the analysis. The linear regression model and marginal effects analysis were performed to examine the association of sedentary behavior with psychological distress, and the moderating effect of spouse loss and physical exercise in this association. RESULTS: After adjusting the confounders, sedentary behavior was significantly associated with psychological distress among rural older adults (β = 0.202, P < 0.001). Spouse loss may modify the relationship between sedentary behavior and psychological distress (β = 0.210, P = 0.033) and physical exercise also moderate this relationship (β = -0.265, P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted that spouse loss and physical exercise moderated the association between sedentary behavior and psychological distress among Chinese rural older adults. These findings highlight the need to pay greater attention to older adults who have experienced spouse loss, and suggest that promoting physical exercise could be considered as a supportive approach to alleviate psychological distress associated with sedentary behavior in rural China.