The Dose-response Relationship Between Physical Activity And Depression And Anxiety In Adolescent Student-athletes

Research has shown an increase in depression and anxiety among adolescents. While physical activity (PA) is generally beneficial, most studies focus on general adolescents, with less research on student-athletes who face higher physical demands. PURPOSE: To investigate the dose-response relationship between PA and the incidence of depression and anxiety among adolescent student-athletes in sports schools in China. METHODS: We used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale to access 544 student-athletes (mean age: 13.7 ± 2.4 years, 284 males, 260 females). Participants were divided into four quartiles based on their MET-minutes/week: P0-P25, P25-P50, P50-P75 and P75-P100. The Pearson chi-square test was used to examine differences in depression and anxiety across various PA levels, and binary logistic regression was used to analyze the dose-response relationship between them. RESULTS: Their median PA was 7146.0 MET-minutes/week (interquartile range [IQR] 5134.5 - 9787.5). Among them, 96.88% had high PA, 50.18% showed symptoms of depression, and 7.72% showed symptoms of anxiety. A Pearson’s chi-square test analysis ( depression: χ2 = 23.148, P < 0.001; anxiety: χ2 = 8.620, P = 0.035) showed that higher PA levels are associated with increased prevalence of depression and anxiety. Binary logistic regression analysis (covariates: age, gender, education level) showed that, compared to the P0-P25 group, the odds of depression were 1.867 (95% CI: 1.134-3.071) times higher in the P25-P50 group, 3.057 (95% CI: 1.840-5.080) times higher in the P50-P75 group, and 2.903 (95% CI: 1.749-4.819) times higher in the P75-P100 group. The odds of anxiety were 2.281 (95% CI: 0.675-7.711) times higher in the P25-P50 group, 4.120 (95% CI: 1.280-13.263) times higher in the P50-P75 group, and 4.653 (95% CI: 1.478-14.651) times higher in the P75-P100 group. These results indicate a dose-response relationship between PA and both depression and anxiety risks. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent student-athletes have more PA than their peers but face significant psychological issues. Psychological problems vary across PA levels, showing a dose-response relationship between PA and depression/anxiety in those with higher activity levels. Supported by: Chinese Universities Scientific Fund [Grant number 2024TZJK007]