Cross-lagged analysis of the relationship between risk perception, physical activity, and adolescent mental health (preprint)

ABSTRACT

Background Anxiety symptoms were prevalent in teenagers during the new coronavirus pandemic at 31% and depression symptoms were at 34%, both significantly higher than they were before the pandemic, according to research on global adolescent mood disorders during the epidemic. It is unclear, nevertheless, if physical activity still promotes mental health given the perceived danger of sickness, even though it has been demonstrated to be useful in reducing teenage mental health issues. Therefore, this study looked into the relationship between teenage mental health, risk perception, and physical activity. Methods In December 2022 and January 2023, two surveys were given to the same pupils in five high schools. During the New Crown pandemic, the risk perception scores, physical activity levels, and mental health of adolescents were examined in the study N=344. Results For adolescents' risk perceptions, there were significant gender differences (P＜0.01), with gender difference effects of 0.255 (d = 0.416) and 0.195 (d = 0.402) for the two measurements, respectively. For mental health, there were gender differences, with gender difference effects of 0.159 (d = 0.262) and 0.179 (d = 0.278) for the two measurements. The levels of risk perception, physical activity, and teenage mental health met persistent connections across months with contemporaneous correlations, however gender differences in physical activity levels were not significant (p > 0.05); Contrarily, in the cross-lagged study, males had higher levels of physical activity and mental health than females, and teenagers' risk perception was higher. Physical activity and mental health were both predicted by T1 ( values of 0.28, 0.19, and P＜0.01, respectively). Risk perception T1 physical exercise T2 mental health T2 (mediating value impact of 0.012, the Z value of 0.112), as well as the indirect effect of Bootstrap, were all able to predict mental health T2 (β= 0.33, P ＜0.01). Indicating a substantial mediating role for physical activity between risk perception and mental health is the 95% CI, not the 0 value from this pathway. Conclusion Raising awareness of physical activity among adolescents according to gender is important for improving mental health and there is a longitudinal causal relationship between perceived risk of disease, physical activity, and mental health among adolescents, suggesting that physical activity still has a role in mental health in the presence of risk perception.