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Psychosocial Resources, Daily Tai Chi Practice, and Mental Health Among Chinese Undergraduates: A Mixed-Methods Study
Chunguang Li1, Yadong Liang2, Jingsong Liu3
1School of Physical Education, Dezhou University, Dezhou, Shandong, 253023, People's Republic of China.
Purpose:
To examine direct and serial indirect associations linking emotional intelligence, perceived social support, psychological capital, and mental health; assess their associations with usual daily Tai Chi practice; and describe how students experienced these resources during practice.
Participants And Methods:
This cross-sectional embedded mixed-methods study analyzed questionnaire and open-text data from 3972 Chinese university students with prior Tai Chi experience. Tai Chi combines coordinated movement, breathing, and focused attention; this survey assessed existing course-based or other practice rather than delivering a standardized intervention. Covariate-adjusted regressions and 5000 bootstrap draws estimated direct and indirect associations with the 20-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) score. Specification curves examined 480 practice-exposure models, and framework-directed content analysis contextualized participants' experiences.
Results:
Emotional intelligence had a direct association with the GHQ-20 mental-health score (standardized β =0.252). Specific indirect associations were observed through perceived support (β =0.097), psychological capital (β =0.074), and their hypothesized sequence (β =0.036); bootstrap intervals excluded zero. Main-model associations remained positive after changing or omitting GHQ item 10 and excluding 27 flagged records. Usual daily practice was positively associated with all four scores across 120 mutually adjusted specifications (median β =0.143-0.166). Accounts described regulation, support, mastery, recovery, and boundary experiences.
Conclusion:
Psychosocial resources and self-reported daily Tai Chi practice were positively associated with the GHQ-20 mental-health score. Daily practice showed more consistent associations than cumulative participation duration, while qualitative accounts contextualized these findings through students' experiences of emotional regulation, support, mastery, and recovery.