Poster #13 - Involvement in social physical activities in childhood reduces risk for depression and anxiety in adolescence

• In Event: Poster Session 20

Abstract

Physical activity has been consistently associated with reduced anxiety and depression across the lifespan, but relatively few studies have investigated these associations in childhood (De Mello et al., 2013). Emerging evidence suggests that certain forms of physical activity may be more beneficial for children than others. Specifically, social and team-oriented physical activity seems to be negatively related to depression and anxiety (Conley et al., 2020). Social physical activities are thought to create stable interpersonal relationships and a sense of belongingness that further act as protective factors against depression and anxiety (Baumeister et al., 1995). However, existing evidence on the relation between social and non-social physical activity are based on concurrent designs. The lack of longitudinal evidence leaves us with a limited understanding of the effects of early participation in social physical activities on the development of depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescence. To fill this gap, we used a longitudinal design to examine whether children’s participation in social and non-social physical activities predict depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescence. Although not previously examined, we also evaluated the impact of these social activities on social anxiety – a type of anxiety that may be particularly affected by social contexts.
Participants included 380 children, who were part of a larger longitudinal study on children’s socioemotional development. At 7 years, parents reported on children’s anxious/depressed behaviors using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, 1991). On the CBCL, parents also reported the extent to which their child was involved in physical activities. We coded the activities listed as social and non-social physical activities following an established coding-scheme (Conley et al., 2020), and weighted the activity based on their involvement (Less than average=1; Average=2; More than Average=2). To create a composite, we summed all physical activities, obtaining a score for their involvement in Social and Non-Social Physical Activities. At 16 years, parents completed the CBCL’s anxious/depressed scale, and parents and children reported on social anxiety symptoms using the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (Birmaher et al., 1997).
Results revealed that children’s involvement in social and non-social physical activities were not concurrently related to depression and anxiety. However, children’s involvement in social physical activities at age 7 was associated with lower parent- and child-reported depression and anxiety and social anxiety at 16 years (r’s range = -.16 to -.29, p’s < .02). These relations remained significant while controlling for previous levels of anxiety and depression at age 7. Finally, relations remained significant while also controlling for biological sex – except for parent-reported depression and anxiety. Importantly, non-social physical activities did not predict adolescent outcomes.
Our results support a growing literature that indicates participation in social physical activities may serve as a protective factor for the development of depression and anxiety. This might be because social physical activities create important social connections (Conley et al., 2020). For the poster, we will further examine the role of other social and non-social activities (e.g., involvement in the arts, youth and religious organizations) on the development of depression and anxiety.

Authors

• Leona Abrahamian, University of Southern California
  Presenting Author

• Selin Zeytinoglu, University of Maryland - College Park

• Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, University of Maryland, College Park

• Nathan A Fox, University of Maryland - College Park

• Santiago Morales, University of Southern California