Within-Person Link between Depressed Affect and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Adolescence: An Intensive Longitudinal Approach

Appl Psychol Health Well Being. 2016 Mar;8(1):44-63. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12061. Epub 2016 Jan 11.

Abstract

Background: During adolescence, young women and men frequently show low physical activity and elevated depressed affect. This study aimed to examine the within-person link between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and depressed affect in everyday life.

Methods: Within an intensive longitudinal approach, adolescents (N = 72; 37% young women; M age = 17.36 years; age range: 12-26 years; mid-90% age range: 13-22 years) wore accelerometers to assess their daily MVPA and reported next-morning and same-evening depressed affect in diaries over eight consecutive days. The within-person link between MVPA and depressed affect on the next morning (time-lagged prediction) and the same evening (same-day link) was analyzed with mixed-effects models.

Results: More-than-usual MVPA significantly predicted less next-morning depressed affect on weekdays in young women, to the extent that a 60-min increase in MVPA over the person mean significantly predicted 50 per cent lower next-morning depressed affect.

Conclusions: This study encourages the development of individually tailored physical activity interventions that could help adolescents enhance their daily amount of unstructured, self-initiated MVPA to reduce depressed affect. This approach may be particularly suitable for young women who have the highest risk for an inactive lifestyle and elevated depressed affect.

Keywords: accelerometry; adolescence; depressed affect; intensive longitudinal design; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; within-person link.

MeSH terms

  • Accelerometry
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Affect / physiology*
  • Child
  • Depression / psychology*
  • Exercise / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Motor Activity / physiology
  • Sedentary Behavior*
  • Young Adult