Exploring The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Sleep Disorders, And Depression Among Adolescents

Research has highlighted the significant role of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in affecting adolescents’ mental health. SB is associated with increased risks of depression. Conversely, regular PA has been shown to reduce the risks of mental problems. PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the relationships among adolescents’ PA, SB, sleep disorders, and depression to address research gaps in PA and mental health interventions. METHODS: Participants were 642 adolescents (356 girls; 286 boys; Mage = 16.9) recruited from four high schools in Shanghai, China. They completed validated questionnaires assessing their PA, SB, daytime sleepiness, and depression. RESULTS: Descriptive analyses revealed more than 20% of participants showed sleep disorder, and 67% of participants had depressive symptoms. Based on the concept of information entropy using R software, the relationships among study variables were explored with the obtained model validated using Leave-P-out Cross-Validation. The results showed that sleep disorders were the primary factor influencing depression. When the sleep disorder scores were greater than or equal to 22, the risk of depression tendency increased. For adolescents with sleep disorder scores were less than 22 but engaging in less than 1.75 hours of PA per day, the risk of depression tendency also increased. Among those with sleep disorder scores were between 16 and 22 and but engaging in more than 1.75 hours of PA per day, the risk of depression tendency increased when SB were greater than or equal to 52 hours per week. Conversely, when the sleep disorder scores were below 16 and PA was more than 1.75 hours per day, the risk of depression tendency decreased. Additionally, for adolescents with sleep disorder scores were between 16 and 22 who are engaging in more than 1.75 hours of PA/day and having a SB total of less than 52 hours per week reduced the risk of depression tendency. CONSLUSION: Sleep disorders were primary factors influencing depressive tendencies in adolescents. Adolescents who lack sufficient PA or engage in prolonged SB are more likely to experience depressive tendencies, while regular PA and reduced SB can help mitigate this risk. Thus, improving sleep quality, increasing PA and reducing SB may serve as effective strategies for promoting adolescents’ mental health.