The impact of physical activity on the mental wellbeing of bereaved older people (carers and non-carers)

Balogh, Zsuzsanna and Holland, Carol and Tod, David and Palmier-Claus, Jasper (2025) The impact of physical activity on the mental wellbeing of bereaved older people (carers and non-carers). PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Background: The loss of a loved one can have negative effects on physical and mental health and be emotionally overwhelming. Being able to cope with the negative impact of bereavement is important for older adults since they are more often affected by grief, depression and anxiety. Previous research indicated that physical activity has a positive impact on mental health and that people tend to use physical activity to cope with stressful life events, such as bereavement. This thesis explored the relationship between physical activity, bereavement and mental health among older people. Methods: Three studies were conducted to complete this research. First a systematic literature review was completed to explore the existing literature on the relationship between physical activity, bereavement and mental wellbeing among older adults. Then a quantitative study using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing was completed to examine the relationship between physical activity, bereavement and mental health among older people and whether physical activity moderates the relationship between bereavement and mental health. Finally, a qualitative longitudinal study was conducted to explore the role of physical activity as a potential coping process, the motivations for physical activity in the context of bereavement and the participants’ life course, and to compare the experience of physical activity during bereavement of carers and non-carers. Results: The results highlighted the positive relationship between physical activity and wellbeing in bereaved older populations and indicated that physical activity was positively associated with quality of life and life satisfaction and negatively associated with depression. The research outcomes also suggested that developing physical activity routines before bereavement might reduce the negative impact of grief on physical activity-related motivations after loss. Based on the participants' accounts, the role of physical activity in the bereavement process was complex and older adults could use physical activity for several reasons, such as improving physical and mental health, the social aspect of the activities and coping with grief. The results also revealed that caregivers tend to increase physical activity participation after loss. Conclusion: This thesis highlights the benefits of physical activity in bereaved older populations, the caregivers’ physical activity-related experiences and the different roles of physical activity in the coping process. Furthermore, it provides information that can be used in future research to improve physical activity interventions for bereaved older adults.