Levante A, Quarta S, Massaro M, Calabriso N, Carluccio M A, Damiano F, Pollice F, Siculella L, Lecciso F
Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, Via di Valesio, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Lab of Applied Psychology, Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, Via di Valesio, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Heliyon. 2024 Feb 18;10(4):e26626. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26626. eCollection 2024 Feb 29.
Psychological distress is recognised as the most common mental health difficulty in emerging adult (18-to-24-year-old) female academic students. This study aimed to test a novel model positing physical activity habits as a protective factor for psychological distress through the mediating role of physical and psychological parameters. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and self-reported physical health status were included as physical parameters. Self-reported psychological health status and time spent on leisure activities were the psychological parameters considered.
Data were collected between April and May 2021. Correlation analyses and a multiple mediation model were computed on 411 online questionnaires filled out by 18-to-24-year-old female students from the University of blind (Italy).
The multiple indirect effects were significant ( = -0.088; < 0.001). This means that physical activity habits reduce psychological distress through high adherence to the Mediterranean diet, a good self-assessment of one's physical and psychological health status, and more time spent on leisure activities outdoors, with friends, and with family members.
Results show that academic policies should be adopted so as to design physical activity programmes that may improve the students' healthy behaviours and social interactions, which, in turn, mitigate the detrimental effects of psychological distress.
心理困扰被认为是成年早期（18至24岁）女大学生中最常见的心理健康问题。本研究旨在测试一个新模型，该模型假定体育活动习惯通过身体和心理参数的中介作用成为心理困扰的保护因素。坚持地中海饮食和自我报告的身体健康状况被纳入身体参数。自我报告的心理健康状况和休闲活动时间是所考虑的心理参数。
数据于2021年4月至5月收集。对来自意大利博洛尼亚大学的411名18至24岁女学生填写的在线问卷进行了相关分析和多重中介模型计算。
多重间接效应显著（β = -0.088；p < 0.001）。这意味着体育活动习惯通过高度坚持地中海饮食、对自身身体和心理健康状况的良好自我评估以及更多时间与朋友、家人一起在户外进行休闲活动来减轻心理困扰。
结果表明，应制定学术政策，以设计体育活动计划，从而改善学生的健康行为和社交互动，进而减轻心理困扰的不利影响。
