Motor competence on children's internalizing problems: The serial mediating effect of peer victimization and social...

To examine whether peer victimization and social support sequentially mediate the relationship between motor competence and internalizing problems in a sample of school-aged children from urban Zhejiang, China.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 362 children (M_age = 9.02 years, SD = 0.75) from the above- mentioned urban schools. Motor competence was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). Self-reported measures included the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (internalizing problems), the Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale (peer victimization), and the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (social support). Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping (5000 resamples) was used to test the serial mediation model.

Motor competence (β = -0.488, p < 0.001) and social support (β = -0.339, p < 0.001) were both significant associated with fewer internalizing problems. Social support independently mediated the relationship between motor competence and internalizing problems (effect = -0.076, 95% CI [-0.127, -0.025]). Critically, the sequential pathway through peer victimization and then social support was also significant (effect = -0.057, 95% CI [-0.099, -0.015]). Collectively, the indirect pathways accounted for 39.9% of the total effect.

Within this urban Chinese sample, motor competence is linked to fewer internalizing problems both directly and indirectly by reducing experiences of peer victimization, which in turn fosters higher perceived social support. Interventions enhancing motor competence may be linked to improved psychosocial resilience, but findings require replication in rural and more diverse Chinese populations before broad generalization.