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Prospective associations of different contexts of physical activity with psychological distress and well-being among middle-aged adults: an analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study

Werneck, AO; Stubbs, B; Kandola, A; Hamer, M; Silva, DR; (2021) Prospective associations of different contexts of physical activity with psychological distress and well-being among middle-aged adults: an analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study. Journal of Psychiatric Research , 140 pp. 15-21. 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.05.049. Green open access

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Abstract

Background: Our aim was to investigate whether different types and social contexts of physical activity (PA) participation are prospectively associated with psychological distress and well-being among middle-aged adults. / Methods: Data from the 1970 British Cohort Study was used (N=5,144-2,733 women). At age 42y, participants reported their type of leisure-time PA, which was classified as individual PA or group PA (exposure). At age 46y, participants reported co-primary outcomes: psychological distress (Malaise Inventory) and well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh scale). Highest academic achievement, employment status, country of interview, baseline values of psychological distress and well-being, smoking, alcohol use, TV-viewing and total physical activity at 42y were used as covariates. Main analyses included linear regression stratifying by sex. / Results: Jogging, cross-country, road-running (both sexes) as well as team sports (men) were associated with higher well-being. Health, fitness, gym or conditioning activities and jogging, cross-country (women), road-running (women) and team sports (men) were associated with lower psychological distress. Participation in both individual and group PA were associated with lower psychological distress and higher well-being for both sexes in crude models. However, adjusted models revealed that only group PA was associated with lower psychological distress (B: -0.106; 95%CI:-0.188 to -0.025) and higher well-being (0.835; 0.050 to 1.619) among men but not women. In the sensitivity analysis, group PA was associated with higher well-being (0.855; 0.094 to 1.616) when compared with individual PA among men. Group PA was not associated with psychological distress among both sexes and well-being among women when compared with individual PA. / Conclusion: Group PA was prospectively associated with lower psychological distress and higher well-being among men but not females. Future PA interventions could focus on group activities for males. Further research to understand the relationship between individual/group PA and mental health is required in females.

Type: Article
Title: Prospective associations of different contexts of physical activity with psychological distress and well-being among middle-aged adults: an analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.05.049
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.05.049
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Exercise, mood, depressive symptoms, mental health
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10128430
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