ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2024
Physical activity, recreational screen time, and depressive symptoms among Chinese children and adolescents: a three-wave cross-lagged study during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2024. 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 15 papers.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Digital Screen Time and Mental Health Difficulties Among Preschool Children in Western China: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Physical Activity and Adolescent Mental Health in China: The Mediating Role of Social Capital.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physical exercise and adolescent negative emotions: indirect associations via stress perception and emotional sensitivity.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Temporal trends in after-school activities among students from 2019 to 2022.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The mediating and moderating roles of physical sub-health in the relationship between family functioning and mental health problems among Chinese adolescents.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Smartphone dependence and sport participation among Chinese adolescents: chain mediation by self-control and health beliefs and direct-path moderation by interpersonal support.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Temporal Patterns and Predictive Factors of Childhood Depressive Disorders Across Asia.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- A bidirectional association between school environmental factors and physical activity habit formation among Chinese urban adolescents: a cross-lagged panel model.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Postpandemic After-School Activities Among Youths in Australia.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Longitudinal relationships among early adolescent physical exercise, internalizing symptoms, and learning engagement: exploring within-person dynamics and the role of gender differences.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Child and adolescent mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic: an overview of key findings from a thematic series.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Review
- Critical Issues in Psychological Services Within Italian Schools: Definition, Contexts, Interventions, and Legislation for Vulnerable Populations.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Mental Health Care Utilization and Prescription Rates Among Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults in France.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Assessing the Association Between Meeting New 24-h Movement Guidelines and Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Chinese Medical Students: A Multicenter Study.Depression and anxiety · 2025Article
- Association between screen time, homework and reading duration, sleep duration, social jetlag and mental health among Chinese children and adolescents.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLongitudinal evidence is lacking on the interplay between lifestyle behaviors and depressive symptoms, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the changes in physical activity and recreational screen time during the pandemic, along with their reciprocal associations with depressive symptoms among children and adolescents.
methodsThe public health emergency due to the pandemic started in January 2023 and lasted for two months in Shanghai, China. A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 1,666 children and adolescents (6-18 years) in January, March, and July 2023. Moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), recreational screen time, and depressive symptoms were measured using self-reported questionnaires. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were constructed to examine the bidirectional associations between physical activity and recreational screen time with depressive symptoms.
resultsChildren and adolescents experienced a significant decrease in MVPA and a substantial increase in recreational screen time during the pandemic, which failed to return to pre-pandemic levels post-pandemic. Pre-pandemic MVPA was negatively associated with subsequent depressive symptoms (β = -0.147). Conversely, pre-pandemic depressive symptoms were positively associated with subsequent recreational screen time (β = 0.085), which in turn predicted heightened post-pandemic depressive symptoms (β = 0.076). When stratified by age, significant associations were found in adolescents but not children.
conclusionsSustained unhealthy changes in physical activity and recreational screen time were observed during the COVID-19 pandemic among children and adolescents. This study elucidates a potential reciprocal relationship between lifestyle behaviors and mental well-being. Effective interventions are emphasized to counter the negative impacts of insufficient physical activity and excessive screen use on the mental health of children and adolescents.
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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.