Abstract
High prevalence of depression and physical inactivity have been consistently reported among college students, especially in females. Guided by Lubans et al.’s conceptual framework, the primary purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal relationships of PA motivation with leisure-time PA and depressive symptoms among college students over one academic year. Employing a longitudinal repeated measure design, 1004 college students in China were recruited in this study (28.3% males and 71.7% females; M age = 18.93 ± 0.64 years; 18–22 years old). Participants completed previously validated questionnaires assessing PA motivation (perceived competence beliefs and task values toward PA), leisure-time PA participation, and depressive symptoms in Fall 2016 (Time 1) and Fall 2017 (Time 2). Both male and female college students showed a significant increase of depressive symptoms from freshmen to sophomores (p < 0.05). The regression models indicated that perceived competence beliefs and task values toward PA were significant predictors of depressive symptoms at Time 2 (p < 0.05) after controlling for Time 1 measures in males and females, respectively. Physically active college students consistently demonstrated higher PA motivation, and they displayed fewer depressive symptoms compared to inactive peers over time (p < 0.05). The findings suggest sex-specified motivational intervention strategies and PA promotion programs/opportunities are needed to reduce depression symptoms among college students over time.
Highlights
Depression has become one of the leading causes of mental health illnesses worldwide and one of the most common mental disorders among college students [1,2]
The examination of linear relationship among the variables suggested that the assumption of non-multicollinearity was met; the VIF and Tolerance statistics for the variables were all less than 5 and greater than 0.20 [33]
MT2 = 8.47, Cohen’s d = 0.31; females: MT1 = 6.47 vs. MT2 = 7.75, Cohen’s d = 0.30). Both sexes displayed a low-to-moderate level of physical activity (PA) motivations in their first and second year of college, in which female college students reported a significant decrease in task values toward PA in their second year of college (MT1 = 3.47 vs. MT2 = 3.39, Cohen’s d = −0.13)
Summary
Depression has become one of the leading causes of mental health illnesses worldwide and one of the most common mental disorders among college students [1,2]. According to World Health Organization’s definition, depression is defined as “an illness characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activity” and the depressive symptoms could last for at least two weeks [5]. It is well-documented that participation in regular physical activity (PA).
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