ArticleScientific reports2021
The impact of sleep, physical activity and sedentary behaviour on symptoms of depression and anxiety before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of South African participants.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Physical activity and mental health: a systematic review and best-evidence synthesis of mediation and moderation studies.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2024Pooled it
- Associations of sleep quality and physical activity with anxiety and depressive symptoms among university students: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Health Behavior-Related Correlates of Physical and Mental Health Among Potential Conscripts.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Trauma Exposure, Insomnia, and Fatigue: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Pathways to Burnout Among South African First Responders.Health science reports · 2025Article
- An ecological analysis of sleep health across five African-origin populations spanning the epidemiologic transition.Sleep health · 2025Article
- Sleep Alterations in the Population of the Metropolitan Area of Mexico and Their Association with Lifestyle Changes During COVID-19 Confinement.Clocks & sleep · 2025Article
- Prevalence and influencing factors of sleep disturbance among medical students under the COVID-19 pandemic.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025Article
- Adherence to the 24-hour movement behavior guidelines and depression risk among older adults from the United States.Journal of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors · 2025Article
- Association between 24-hour movement behaviors and depressive symptoms among urban older adults in china: a compositional isotemporal substitution analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Insomnia Severity Index among South African first responders: evidence from classical test theory, Rasch, and Mokken analyses.Frontiers in sleep · 2025Article
- User Dynamics and Thematic Exploration in r/Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights From Overlapping r/SuicideWatch Users.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Screen Time and Child Behavioral Disorders During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.International journal of preventive medicine · 2024Review
- Contextual drivers on local sport promotion policy: a Dutch case study on the relevance of the COVID-19 pandemic.International journal of sport policy · 2024Article
- Bouncing back or staying inactive? The social inequality in sport participation before, during and after the COVID-pandemic.Leisure studies · 2024Article
- Initial Psychological Reactions to COVID-19 of Middle Adolescents in Portugal.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Association Between Sunlight Exposure and Mental Health: Evidence from a Special Population Without Sunlight in Work.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2023Article
- Sport club dropout under COVID-19 in the Netherlands: do characteristics of the neighbourhood matter?Frontiers in sports and active living · 2023Article
- Prevalence and associated factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19 at a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, China: A cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Is Working from Home during COVID-19 Associated with Increased Sports Participation? Contexts of Sports, Sports Location and Socioeconomic Inequality.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lifestyle and behaviours, mental health and education of students studying healthcare-related courses at a British university.BMC medical education · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
During lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have experienced poor sleep quality and sleep regularity, changes in lifestyle behaviours, and heightened depression and anxiety. However, the inter-relationship and relative strength of those behaviours on mental health outcomes is still unknown. We collected data between 12 May and 15 June 2020 from 1048 South African adults (age: 32.76 ± 14.43 years; n = 767 female; n = 473 students) using an online questionnaire. Using structural equation modelling, we investigated how insomnia symptoms, sleep regularity, exercise intensity/frequency and sitting/screen-use (sedentary screen-use) interacted to predict depressive and anxiety-related symptoms before and during lockdown. We also controlled for the effects of sex and student status. Irrespective of lockdown, (a) more severe symptoms of insomnia and greater sedentary screen-use predicted greater symptoms of depression and anxiety and (b) the effects of sedentary screen-use on mental health outcomes were mediated by insomnia. The effects of physical activity on mental health outcomes, however, were only significant during lockdown. Low physical activity predicted greater insomnia symptom severity, which in turn predicted increased depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. Overall, relationships between the study variables and mental health outcomes were amplified during lockdown. The findings highlight the importance of maintaining physical activity and reducing sedentary screen-use to promote better sleep and mental health.
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