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International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Published in: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 5/2023

Open Access 30-09-2022 | Full length manuscript

The Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Physical Activity Is Non-linear and Differs by Domain: a Cross-Sectional Study

Authors: David Mizrahi, Christopher T. V. Swain, Fiona Bruinsma, Allison Hodge, Natalie Taylor, Brigid M. Lynch

Published in: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 5/2023

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Abstract

Background

There is increasing evidence for the relationship between physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour and mental health. Limited data exists on sex-specific associations. We aimed to identify associations between PA dose and domain and television time with psychological distress, including sex-stratified models.

Methods

A total of 22,176 adults from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study follow-up 2 cohort (2003–2007) participated in this cross-sectional study. Occupational, household, transport, leisure PA, hours watching television and psychological distress were assessed. Restricted cubic splines were used to examine the relationships between PA domains, television viewing time and psychological distress.

Results

The relationships between PA and psychological distress were non-linear (p < 0.05) and differed by PA domain. There were dose-dependent, inverse associations between distress with transport (B[95% CI] = −0.39[−0.49, −0.30]) and leisure PA (B[95% CI] = −0.35[−0.46, −0.25]). The effect estimates for transport and leisure PA with distress were larger for women. For household domain, a U-shaped curve with an elongated tail was seen. Median PA was associated with lower distress compared with lower quantities (B[95% CI] = −0.12[−0.22, −0.03]); however, this association was not evident with increasing household PA. There were no clear associations between occupational PA and distress. Higher television viewing was associated with higher distress (B[95% CI] = 0.16[0.02, 0.30]).

Conclusions

Increasing PA and reducing television viewing may contribute to reduced psychological distress, particularly in women. Future interventions should incorporate leisure and transport PA and decrease television viewing to assess the impact on mental health.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
The Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Physical Activity Is Non-linear and Differs by Domain: a Cross-Sectional Study
Authors
David Mizrahi
Christopher T. V. Swain
Fiona Bruinsma
Allison Hodge
Natalie Taylor
Brigid M. Lynch
Publication date
30-09-2022
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 5/2023
Print ISSN: 1070-5503
Electronic ISSN: 1532-7558
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-022-10130-5

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