AI Insight
This study of 902 Chinese adolescents found that negative life events are significantly associated with internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression. The research demonstrated that physical activity and emotional competence independently mediate this relationship, and also work sequentially as a chain—where physical activity promotes emotional competence, which in turn reduces internalizing problems. The cross-sectional analysis revealed that increased physical activity following negative experiences correlates with better emotional regulation skills and fewer internalizing symptoms.
Why it matters
These findings suggest potential intervention pathways for preventing mental health problems in adolescents who experience stressful life events. Schools and mental health programs could incorporate physical activity promotion as a strategy to enhance emotional competence and reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in vulnerable youth populations.
Understand the Science
BackgroundAdolescents are particularly vulnerable to developing internalizing problems (IPs) when exposed to Negative Life Events (NLEs) during their development. Physical Activity (PA) has been shown to exert beneficial effects on stress coping and Emotional Competence (EC). This study aimed to examine the association between NLEs and IPs in adolescents and to investigate the chain mediating roles of PA and EC, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the early prevention and intervention of IPs in this population.MethodsA total of 902 junior and senior high school students from Henan Province, China, were recruited for this study. Participants were assessed using the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Physical Activity Rating Scale, and the Emotional Competence Scale. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 27.0 and the PROCESS macro to test the mediation model.Results(1) NLEs were significantly and positively correlated with IPs, but significantly and negatively correlated with PA and EC. PA was significantly and positively correlated with EC. (2) Regression analyses indicated that NLEs were positively associated with IPs, while significantly and negatively predicting PA. PA was positively associated with EC, and both PA and EC were significantly and negatively associated with IPs. (3) Mediation analyses revealed that the independent mediating effect of PA was significant (b = 0.023, 95%CI [0.012, 0.034]); the independent mediating effect of EC was also significant (b = 0.021, 95%CI [0.013, 0.031]); moreover, the chain mediating effect of PA and EC was significant (b = 0.009, 95%CI [0.006, 0.014]).ConclusionNLEs were identified as an important correlate of IPs in adolescents. PA and EC showed potential independent and sequential indirect associations in the relationship between NLEs and IPs. These findings suggest that PA and EC may represent potential indirect mechanisms linking NLEs and IPs among adolescents. However, given the cross-sectional design, these pathways should be interpreted as theoretically informed associations rather than causal processes.