Abstract
The purpose of the present research is determining the psychological symptoms observed among the students of the Faculty of Sports Sciences and to define the effects of physical activity on the mental health of the students. The sample of the research consists of 222 volunteer students (n=75 female and n=147 male) who study at Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Sports Sciences in 2017-2018 Academic Year. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to define the physical activity levels of students and Symptom Distress Check List (SCL-90-R) was used to define the psychological symptoms of the students. SPSS 22.0 package program was used for the statistical analysis of the data collected for the present research. According to the findings of the statistical analyses, the most frequent psychological symptoms observed among students respectively were obsessive-compulsive symptoms (70.3%, n=156), paranoid thoughts (63.1%, n=140), interpersonal sensitivity (51.8%, n=115) and anger hostility (51.4%, n=114). It was also found that there was a significant negative correlation between the physical activity levels of the students and general symptom averages and the psychological symptoms such as obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, anxiety, anger hostility at 0.01 level (p>0.05). According to the findings of the present research, symptoms, such as obsessive-compulsive symptoms, paranoid thoughts, interpersonal sensitivity and anger hostility are observed, and general symptom average was high among students of Faculty of Sports Sciences and psychological symptoms such as obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, anxiety, anger hostility, phobic reaction decreased as the physical activity level of the students increased. Psychological symptoms other than psychotics were mostly among female students. Participation in meditation, yoga, music therapy, exercise and physical activity programs as well as applied lessons in the curriculum can contribute to the prevention of mental problems among students with these symptoms.
Highlights
Time during university education is a critical period when university students spread an effort to gain identity and independence developmentally on one hand and struggle with the problem that come along with university life on the other (Rickwood et al, 2007)
Regular physical activity is known to have effects on mental health such as reducing depression and anxiety, regulating sleep, providing relief and increasing self-esteem (Adams et al, 2003). For this reason the purpose of the present research is determining students presenting psychological symptoms such as somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, anger hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid thoughts and psychoticism and studying the relationship between physical activity and psychological symptoms observed among students
The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was developed in 1998 by and International Consensus Group appointed by World Health Organization in short and long forms
Summary
Time during university education is a critical period when university students spread an effort to gain identity and independence developmentally on one hand and struggle with the problem that come along with university life on the other (Rickwood et al, 2007). Studies conducted on university students’ problem areas and needs have revealed that students face various psychological problems during university years and need help (Erkan et al, 2012). Youth is the period of contradictions in which the individuals experience many emotional, behavioral, sexual, economic, academic and social conflicts which result in social and physical changes and efforts to define an identity increase with sexual maturity. In this period the emotional health of university youth becomes one of the important components of social health (Kaya et al, 2007). For this reason reaching the individuals with psychological symptoms is important in terms of preventive mental health
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