Abstract
Emerging adulthood is often overlooked as a developmental time period critical to shaping future health outcomes. Recurrent pain is a commonly experienced health concern within this age group, particularly headaches and low back pain, and early experiences of recurrent pain are related to subsequent chronic pain and disability. Furthermore, adults from marginalized populations report more frequent and severe recurrent pain. Many studies have demonstrated the therapeutic effect of physical activity on pain relief; however, others have demonstrated that physical activity can also exacerbate pain symptoms. Therefore, the current study aimed to (1) assess a bidirectional relationship between reported pain and engagement in physical activity among an emerging adult sample (N = 265) and (2) determine whether sociodemographic factors moderate this relationship. Using longitudinal daily reported pain and ActiGraph monitor data collected over two weeks, a novel dynamic structural equation modeling approach was employed. Results indicated no significant cross-lagged relationships between pain and physical activity, and no significant moderation effects. These findings suggest that a bidirectional relationship does not exist among a diverse college sample of emerging adults even after considering sociodemographic moderators. Excellent retention and few missing data suggest that using accelerometers and daily diaries are feasible methods to collect data in this population. Sample considerations and future analytical approaches are discussed.
Highlights
Emerging adulthood is an important developmental context for shaping health outcomes [1], with new opportunities for autonomy and decision making in health behaviors [2]
The second aim of the current study examined whether marginalization moderates these bidirectional relationships, due to findings demonstrating the inequitable disparities in experiencing worse pain and lower levels of physical activity, such that marginalization will exacerbate these relationships and demonstrate a stronger link between physical activity and pain
The current study used a composite score of total pain from the Physical Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15); when examining reported pain across pain symptoms, it is evident that headaches and back pain were endorsed the most for “bothering” participants
Summary
Emerging adulthood (ages of 18–25 years) is an important developmental context for shaping health outcomes [1], with new opportunities for autonomy and decision making in health behaviors [2]. Low back pain is prevalent among this age group [5,6] with 71% reporting low back pain one to five times a week [7]. Headaches are another common pain symptom reported by emerging adults, with the majority (57% male, 78% female) experiencing their most recent headache in the past month [8]. With the prevalence of pain conditions rising [10], it is critical to understand health behaviors that can prevent a chronic pain trajectory, which is associated with numerous psychosocial and functional limitations and, overall, lower health-related quality of life [11]
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