Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32005251›Full record

ArticleThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2020

Mechanisms underpinning the association between physical activity and mental health in adolescence: a 6-year study.

Isabelle Doré, Benjamin Sylvester, Catherine Sabiston, Marie-Pierre Sylvestre, Jennifer O'Loughlin, Jennifer Brunet, Mathieu Bélanger

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Article in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  8. Physical Activity Moderates the Relationship Between Screen Time and Body Dissatisfaction in Early Adulthood.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Isabelle DoréSchool of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. isabelle.dore@umontreal.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-1210-3993
Benjamin SylvesterDepartment of National Defense, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Catherine SabistonUniversity of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Marie-Pierre SylvestreCHUM Research Centre, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Jennifer O'LoughlinCHUM Research Centre, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Jennifer BrunetUniversity of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Mathieu BélangerUniversité de Sherbrooke, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysical activity (PA) can promote mental health, but the mechanisms underpinning this association are not well-established. This study examined if perceptions of three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) mediate the association between number of years participating in PA and mental health in adolescence.

methodsParticipants included 937 children (55% female) age 10-11 at inception of the longitudinal MATCH study, who provided data every 4 months over 6 years. Mediation analyses were used to assess the natural direct effect of number of years of PA participation (cycles 1-15) during late childhood and adolescence on later mental health (cycle 16), measured with the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), and the natural indirect effect through each of self-perceived autonomy, competence and relatedness, and self-report MVPA (cycle 15).

resultsIn single mediator models, indirect effects of autonomy, competence, relatedness and self-report MVPA were statistically significant. In joint mediation models (each of three models including one basic psychological need and MVPA), autonomy, competence and relatedness mediated 71, 27, and 51% of the association respectively; MVPA mediated 27-31% of the association. In the mediation model including all four mediators, relatedness mediated the largest proportion of the association, followed by autonomy and MVPA.

conclusionResults support developing strategies to encourage adolescents to engage and remain involved in PA. This could foster perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness as well as MVPA, which in turn may enhance mental health.

Indexed as

Adolescent HealthExerciseMental HealthAdolescentChildFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleAutonomyBasic psychological needsCompetencePhysical activityRelatednessWell-being

Identifiers

PMID32005251
PMCPMC6993479

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.