Understanding High School Adolescents’ Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms from a Psychosocial Perspective

Abstract

Although regular physical activity (PA) produces significant health benefits, the majority of adolescents were physically inactive and adopting sedentary lifestyle (Zahl et al., 2017). Further, the mental health problems such as depressive symptoms were prevalent among adolescents (Schubert et al., 2017). The theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) suggests attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control can shape individuals’ PA intention and PA, but there is limited empirical evidence of relationships among TPB variables, PA, and depressive symptoms among adolescents. PURPOSE: Guided by the TPB, this study attempted to fill the research gap and test a hypothesized model of TPB variables (i.e., attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention) related to PA and depressive symptoms among high school adolescents. METHODS: 792 Chinese adolescents (432 females; 360 males; Mage = 16.9) who enrolled into four high schools in Shanghai completed previously validated questionnaires assessing their TPB variables, PA, and depressive symptoms. Correlations were used to examine the relationships among the variables, and the hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM; AMOS 22). RESULTS: Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations among TPB variables and PA, while depression was negatively related to TPB variables and PA. The SEM analyses indicated that the hypothesized model produces a good fit to the data (χ2/df =33.9/6, p < .01; NFI = .98; IFI = .98; CFI = .98; RMSEA = .08; 90% CI [.05, .10]). Specifically, the model accounted for 23.8% and 1.0 % of the variance in PA and depression, respectively. Path coefficients suggested that attitude (β = .33), subjective norm (β = .21), perceived behavioral control (β = .28) were positively associated with intention. Intention (β = .11) and perceived behavioral control (β = .42) significantly predicted PA. PA negatively predicted depression (β = -.09). CONCLUSION: The findings support the theoretical tenets of TPB and provide empirical evidence of the relationships among key TPB variables, PA, and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. These findings have significant practical implications for PA intervention strategies aimed at promoting adolescents’ PA and reducing depression.