Physical Exercise and Psychological Distress: The Mediating Roles of Problematic Mobile Phone Use and Learning Burnout among Adolescents.

Yansong Li,Qihui Sun,Peishuai Sun,Xue Xia,Mingzhe Sun,Qilong Sun

doi:10.3390/ijerph18179261

Abstract

Psychological distress among adolescents adversely affects their development and negatively impacts them later in life. The aim of the present study was to determine whether an association exists between physical exercise and psychological distress and to explore the roles of problematic mobile phone use and learning burnout with respect to this association. A total of 2077 Chinese adolescents were evaluated by using the Physical Exercise Questionnaire, the Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use, the Learning Burnout Questionnaire, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. A serial multiple mediation model was constructed using the SPSS PROCESS macro. The results showed that physical exercise was negatively associated with psychological distress in this Chinese adolescent population. Serial multiple mediation analysis revealed that problematic mobile phone use and learning burnout both independently and serially mediated the association between physical exercise and psychological distress. These findings provide evidence suggesting that increased attention should be given to problematic mobile phone use and learning burnout when establishing and implementing specific strategies that leverage greater participation in physical exercise to decrease psychological distress in adolescents.

Highlights

Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood, a crucial stage in life in which health-related behaviors and conditions typically start or are reinforced
Our results supported our four study hypotheses. These findings contribute to current knowledge by providing evidence indicating that physical exercise plays a crucial role in psychological distress among adolescents and by suggesting that physical exercise may be related to reduced problematic mobile phone use, decreased learning burnout, or both, which could affect psychological distress in adolescents
Our results showed that the indirect mediating effects of problematic mobile phone use and of learning burnout on the association of physical exercise with psychological distress in adolescents accounted for 71.6% of the total effect

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood, a crucial stage in life in which health-related behaviors and conditions typically start or are reinforced. It is a period characterized by marked physical and psychosocial changes [1]. Most adolescents successfully navigate this period, a substantial minority experience distress [2]. Psychological distress is more prevalent among adolescents than in the general population and may contribute to lower educational achievement and reduced overall health, both of which substantially impact them in later adulthood [3]. A non-negligible proportion of adolescents in many countries experience psychological distress.

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