Exploring the mental health of older adults offers key insights for promoting active aging, and studies on psychological mechanisms inform effective interventions. However, the link between self-leadership and morale in older adults remains underexplored. Self-leadership is a positive psychological trait that is beneficial for improving mental health through internal strategies. This study investigates the relationship between self-leadership and morale, with a focus on the mediating role of resilience. Using a longitudinal design, data were collected via questionnaires from 330 older adults in urban Shanghai, and a latent variant-based cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) was applied. Results revealed that (1) resilience mediated the positive predictive effect of self-leadership on morale over time and (2) resilience and morale exhibited an inter-temporal interaction. This study concludes that self-leadership positively influences older adults’ morale with resilience serving as a key internal mechanism, offering valuable guidance for home care aides and practitioners, and contributes new perspectives to aging policy development.
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