Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA.
J Sch Health. 2011 Sep;81(9):574-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00629.x.
The activity patterns of children, especially after-school patterns, are receiving more professional attention. However, evidence regarding the value of various activities in children's lives is contradictory. The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of discretionary activities, overscheduling, and levels of stress from adolescents' perspective.
A sample of 882 children, ages 9 to 13, recruited at 9 health education centers in the United States was selected for this study. Children answered questionnaires using remote, handheld devices. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. The outcomes of interest were activity-based stress and desire for more free time.
The primary predictor for the desire for more free time was hours of screen time (television, computer, video games): those who reported 3 or more hours were nearly 3 times more likely to desire more free time. Further, children who chose their own activities experienced more activity-related stress than those who shared decisions with parents. The single greatest predictor of activity-related stress was the reported number of hours spent on homework. Students who averaged at least 2 hours on homework per night were nearly twice as likely to report frequent activity-related stress.
Parents of school-aged children should assess activity-related stress and the degree to which children perceive they are busy. Teachers, school counselors, and school administrators should be aware of these perceptions as they are making decisions regarding school schedules and should teach personal skills such as time management and stress control.
儿童的活动模式，尤其是课余活动模式，正受到越来越多的专业关注。然而，关于各种活动对儿童生活价值的证据存在矛盾。本研究的目的是从青少年的角度评估他们对自由活动、过度安排和压力水平的看法。
本研究在美国 9 个健康教育中心招募了 882 名 9 至 13 岁的儿童作为研究对象。儿童使用远程手持设备回答问卷。使用描述性统计和多变量逻辑回归分析数据。研究的主要结果是基于活动的压力和渴望更多自由时间。
渴望更多自由时间的主要预测因素是屏幕时间（电视、电脑、视频游戏）的时间：报告有 3 小时或以上屏幕时间的儿童，渴望更多自由时间的可能性几乎是其 3 倍。此外，选择自己活动的儿童比与父母共同决策的儿童更有可能感到与活动相关的压力。与活动相关的压力最大的单一预测因素是报告的每天花在家庭作业上的时间。每天平均至少花 2 小时做作业的学生，报告经常感到与活动相关的压力的可能性几乎是前者的两倍。
学龄儿童的家长应该评估与活动相关的压力，以及儿童对自己忙碌程度的感知。教师、学校辅导员和学校管理人员在决定学校日程安排时应意识到这些看法，并应教授个人技能，如时间管理和压力控制。
