0206 2021 Analysis of the Mediating Effect of Sleep on the Relationship Between Exercise and Frequent Mental Distress

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Adolescents are at an increased risk of frequent mental distress, defined as experiencing poor mental health such as stress, anxiety, and depression, due to a variety of factors. In 2021 it was shown that the prevalence of frequent mental distress was higher than in previous years (NM-YRRS, 2021). According to Paruthi et. al. (2016), Adolescents require 9 to 10 hours of sleep per night. However, during the school year, the average sleep duration for adolescents is between 6.5 and 8.5 hours per night (Brand et. al., 2010). One potential solution to improve adolescent sleep is frequent moderate to vigorous exercise, which has been shown to have a positive relationship with favorable and healthy sleep patterns in adolescents. (Brand et al., 2010). Due to early school days, insufficient sleep has been found to contribute to frequent mental distress and poor academic performance in adolescents (Blackwelder, Hoskins & Huber, 2021). Aerobic exercise has been demonstrated to regulate emotions, while decreased rates of exercise have been shown to increase suicidality (Siddiqui, et. al., 2022). Thus, we hypothesize that inadequate exercise puts youth at an increased risk of frequent mental distress via the pathway of insufficient sleep. We further anticipate that boys and girls will experience this relationship at a different magnitude, with girls experiencing the effects of insufficient exercise on sleep more intensely because of gender-based differences in sleep duration requirements (Brand, et. al., 2010). Methods Using the 2021 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (NM-YRRS) high school dataset, we will analyze this association using logistic regression. The NM-YRRS includes 16,000 students from across New Mexico high schools. Subgroup analyses are important considering evidence that there is a greater prevalence of frequent insufficient sleep among Native Americans (Chapman et al., 2013). The NM-YRRS oversamples Native American and rural populations in the state to ensure more representation of these populations than other surveys provide. The national CDC’s Youth Risk and Behavior Survey data across the United States will be available in January of 2023 where we will compare New Mexico’s data to National data. Results TBA Conclusion TBA Support (if any)