Trajectories of anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms in Chinese university students with and without curriculum-embedded traditional martial arts: A three-year multigroup analysis

Key Points

• Anxiety and depression significantly differ between students practicing traditional martial arts and those who do not, enhancing overall mental health.
• After three years, students engaged in martial arts show lower anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptom levels compared to their peers.
• Multigroup analysis demonstrates the mental health trajectories influenced by traditional martial arts, highlighting diverse psychological outcomes.
• These findings call for integrating traditional martial arts into university curriculums to support student mental health and well-being.