Open Access

ARTICLE

Cross-Lagged Relationship between Physical Activity Time, Openness and Depression Symptoms among Adolescents: Evidence from China

by Xiaojie Cao¹, Qinyu Zhang², Xinqiao Liu^3,*

1 Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
2 School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200025, China
3 School of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China

* Corresponding Author: Xinqiao Liu. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Quality of Life, Well-Being and Mental Health in the context of Physical Activity and Health)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2023, 25(9), 1009-1018. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2023.029365

Received 14 February 2023; Accepted 03 April 2023; Issue published 10 August 2023

Abstract

The relationship between physical activity time, openness and depression symptoms among adolescents is a cutting-edge research direction in the field, yet it remains unclear. This study is based on a sample of 7924 students from a nationally representative China Education Panel Survey database and examines the bidirectional relationships between physical activity time, openness and depression symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Descriptive analysis showed that during the 7th and 8th grades, the average physical activity time decreased to less than one hour per day, accompanied by a decreasing trend in openness and a slight worsening in depression symptoms. Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between physical activity time and depression symptoms, a significant positive correlation between physical activity time and openness, and a significant negative correlation between depression symptoms and openness. The results from cross-lagged models indicated a bidirectional relationship between physical activity time and openness, with physical activity time significantly positively predicting openness in the following year and openness significantly positively predicting physical activity time in the following year. In addition, depression symptoms had a unidirectional negative predictive effect on openness. The conclusions provide empirical evidence for education administration and schools to promote the physical and mental health development of adolescents worldwide.

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Keywords

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