A study of the relationship between levels of physical activity and depressive symptomatology in adolescents

Considerable research has been performed in the area of depressive symptomatology in adolescents. The prevalence of depression is well established but major issues remain unresolved. One of these is the identification of the correlates of depression in adolescents. This study is an attempt to identify a correlate of depression in adolescents. Physical activity was addressed because evidence supports the concept that increased physical activity enhances one's psychological as well as one's physical well-being. Utilizing the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and a seven day self-recall physical activity questionnaire that was designed for this study, the relationship between levels of depressive symptomatology and physical activity in adolescents was investigated. Levels of total physical activity, paying job, home chore and leisure-time sports (sports) activity were addressed. Special emphasis was given to sports activity because most children state that they participate in sports willfully. 879 adolescents, in two grade levels, from six different schools, voluntarily completed questionnaires. Tenth grade students reported significantly higher depression scores than eighth grade students, females reported significantly higher depression scores than males. Males reported significantly higher levels of total activity and sports activity than females. Analyses indicate that depending upon how the sample is divided, relationships may exist between level of total depressive symptomatology and total physical activity level, paying job activity level and home chore activity level. Only when looking at the relationship between the level of total depressive symptomatology and level of leisure-time sports activity were the results consistent. Unexpectedly, no association was shown to exist between level of total depression symptomatology and sports activity. An orthogonal rotation method of factor analysis (Varimax) was used to obtain four clusters of depressive symptoms from the CES-D. Analysis identified two clusters of depressive symptoms that were associated with sports activity for males.