The impact of family physical education and physical activity on adolescents' social emotional competence: the moderating role of positive youth development

Family function theory attests that the role of family in shaping the social emotional competence of adolescents is truly irreplaceable. This study, adopting family function theory and social ecology theory as the analytical framework, delves into the potential mechanism by which family physical education impacts the social and emotional abilities of adolescents. Accordingly, 1,062 students from 19 middle schools in China were selected to examine the role of physical activity and positive adolescent development in the relationship between family physical education and adolescent social emotions. The results indicate that: (1) Family physical education positively predicts the social emotional competence of adolescents. (2) Physical activity serves as an intermediary in the relationship between family physical education and adolescent social emotion competence. (3) positive youth development plays a regulatory role in the relationship between family physical education and the social and emotional competence of adolescents. Thus, parents should be cognizant of the significance of family physical education in cultivating the social and emotional abilities of adolescents. At the same time, families ought to attach importance to the positive development of adolescents, provide them with sufficient support, engage in more physical activities with their children, increase adolescents' participation in physical activities, and ultimately contribute to the improvement of adolescents' social and emotional competence.