Functional limitations refer to the dependency to perform activities of daily living. Increasing evidence has demonstrated a bidirectional association between functional limitations and cognitive functioning, although the exact mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated whether social participation bidirectionally mediates the association between functional limitations and cognitive decline. We analyzed a sample of 16,385 middle-aged and older adults (aged over 50 years) using longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS
Waves 1-4). We utilized a cross-lagged panel model to examine the bidirectional mediation of social participation between functional limitations and cognitive functioning over a span of eight years. The results indicated that social participation bidirectionally and partially mediated the relationship between the onset of functional limitations and cognitive decline, indicating that social participation may play an important role in mitigating the disablement process.