Physical Literacy and Mental Well-being in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Examination of Their Association and Links with Physical Activity Engagement

Physical literacy, a comprehensive framework encompassing an individual’s motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding for lifelong physical activity, is increasingly recognized as a crucial determinant of overall health. However, robust evidence linking this construct to positive mental well-being in adults remains limited, with most existing research focusing on children and adolescents. A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology aimed to bridge this gap by investigating the association between physical literacy and mental well-being in a Turkish adult population, while also exploring how these constructs vary across different demographic and lifestyle factors.

The study, conducted by researchers from various institutions, utilized a cross-sectional design involving 375 adults residing in Turkey. Participants, with a mean age of 32.23 years, were predominantly male (64.5%) and skewed towards those with higher education and regular exercise habits. The findings revealed a moderate and positive correlation between physical literacy and mental well-being, suggesting that individuals who are more physically literate tend to experience greater positive mental health. This association remained significant even after accounting for demographic variables such as age, sex, and education, as well as behavioral factors like athletic background, regular exercise participation, and habitual physical activity levels.

Unpacking the Link Between Physical Literacy and Mental Well-being

Physical literacy, conceptualized as the integrated capacity to move confidently and competently throughout life, extends beyond mere physical fitness. It encompasses psychological elements such as motivation and self-efficacy, alongside the knowledge and understanding necessary to engage in and value physical activity. Researchers propose that these components of physical literacy may foster the basic psychological needs—competence, autonomy, and relatedness—that are central to mental well-being, particularly within the framework of Self-Determination Theory. This theory posits that the satisfaction of these fundamental needs is essential for psychological growth, integration, and optimal functioning.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Burcu E. Orhan, commented, "Our findings underscore the holistic nature of physical literacy. It’s not just about being physically active; it’s about possessing the confidence, motivation, and understanding to sustain that activity, which in turn appears to bolster mental well-being." This perspective aligns with a growing body of research highlighting the significant mental health benefits of physical activity, which has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve overall subjective well-being.

Key Findings from the Turkish Adult Sample

The study’s quantitative analysis yielded several significant results:

• Moderate Positive Association: Physical literacy and mental well-being were moderately correlated (r = 0.45, p < 0.001). This indicates that as physical literacy scores increased, so did scores for mental well-being.
• Differentiated by Lifestyle: Adults with an athletic background and those who regularly exercised reported significantly higher levels of both physical literacy and mental well-being. The effect sizes for these differences were substantial, particularly for physical literacy.
• Graded Activity Gradient: A clear, ordered relationship emerged between habitual physical activity frequency and both constructs. Individuals engaging in physical activity more frequently reported higher physical literacy and better mental well-being, demonstrating a dose-response-like pattern.
• Incremental Validity: Physical literacy accounted for 11% of the variance in mental well-being, even after controlling for demographic and behavioral covariates. This highlights its unique contribution to understanding mental health outcomes.
• Subscale Contributions: Exploratory analysis of the five subdimensions of physical literacy (Motivation, Social, Physical competence, Knowledge, and Confidence) indicated that perceived physical competence and social aspects of movement were the strongest unique predictors of mental well-being in the adjusted model.

Demographic and Behavioral Correlates

The study also explored differences based on demographic and behavioral factors. While men scored marginally higher than women on both measures, the difference in mental well-being was statistically borderline. Educational attainment showed a weak association with mental well-being, with postgraduate-educated individuals reporting slightly better outcomes, but no significant link was found with physical literacy. A modest decline in physical literacy was observed with increasing age.

The strong differentiation across athletic background, regular exercise, and habitual physical activity levels provided convergent evidence for the validity of the measures used. Adults with a history of athletic participation or those currently engaging in regular exercise exhibited markedly higher scores on both physical literacy and mental well-being compared to their less active counterparts. The graded increase in both outcomes across categories of habitual physical activity frequency further solidified this link, underscoring the pervasive influence of movement engagement on psychological health.

Implications for Health Promotion

The findings suggest that physical literacy could serve as a valuable target for adult mental health promotion initiatives. Given that physical literacy is amenable to development through education and structured experiences, interventions focused on enhancing movement confidence, motivation, and knowledge may offer benefits that extend to mental well-being. This approach could be particularly effective in settings such as community health programs, workplace wellness schemes, and adult education. The observed graded pattern also implies that even modest increases in physical activity among sedentary individuals could yield significant mental health returns.

Dr. Walaa J. Alkasasbeh, a co-author, emphasized the potential for public health impact: "By promoting physical literacy, we’re not just encouraging people to be more active; we’re equipping them with the foundational skills and mindset to embrace a physically active life. This, in turn, appears to be a potent pathway to better mental health."

Limitations and Future Directions

Despite the significant findings, the study acknowledges certain limitations. The cross-sectional design precludes definitive causal conclusions; while physical literacy may foster well-being, it is also possible that better mental health facilitates engagement in activities that build physical literacy, or that reciprocal influences are at play. Future longitudinal and experimental studies are recommended to clarify the directionality of these effects.

The reliance on self-report measures for all variables introduces the potential for common-method variance, although statistical tests did not indicate a dominant method factor. Incorporating objective measures of physical activity, such as wearable devices, and exploring multi-source data (e.g., informant reports) could strengthen future research. Furthermore, the convenience sample, while providing valuable insights, was skewed towards men and highly educated, active individuals. This limits the generalizability of the findings to the broader Turkish adult population, particularly to less active, socioeconomically disadvantaged, or clinically diagnosed groups. Future research should prioritize probability-based sampling to ensure wider representativeness.

The study also utilized single-item measures for assessing athletic background, regular exercise, and habitual physical activity, which capture only frequency and not intensity, duration, or volume. While these served to establish graded associations, the robustness of these specific findings would be enhanced by employing validated physical activity questionnaires.

Finally, while exploratory subscale analyses pointed towards physical competence and social dimensions as key drivers, the developers of the Physical Literacy in Adults Scale (PLAS) intend for it to be used as a total score. Therefore, these subscale findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating for future latent-variable modeling. The moderate correlation and the conceptual overlap between physical literacy and mental well-being also warrant cautious interpretation of the unique contribution of physical literacy.

Conclusion

In summary, this study provides compelling evidence for a significant association between physical literacy and mental well-being in Turkish adults. The findings highlight physical literacy not merely as a physical attribute but as a psychosocial resource that contributes to positive mental health outcomes. The clear links between active living indicators and both physical literacy and well-being underscore the importance of promoting lifelong engagement in physical activity. As the field continues to evolve, this research offers a strong foundation for developing targeted interventions aimed at enhancing both physical literacy and mental well-being across the adult lifespan, with potential implications for public health strategies globally. The study’s authors advocate for further research employing more rigorous designs and measures to solidify these provisional findings and unlock the full potential of physical literacy for mental health promotion.