Stamenković Miloš, Pantelić Saša, Bubanj Saša, Petković Emilija, Bjelica Bojan, Aksović Nikola, Toskić Lazar, Sufaru Constantin, Lupu Gabriel-Stănică, Dobreci Daniel-Lucian, Dobrescu Tatiana, Sava Mihai-Adrian
Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Niš, 18000 Niš, Serbia.
Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, University of East Sarajevo, 71126 Lukavica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Life (Basel). 2025 Mar 24;15(4):531. doi: 10.3390/life15040531.
(1) Background: The relationship between physical activity (PA) and mental health remains a topic of significant interest, particularly in populations recovering from COVID-19. This study aimed to examine the differences in PA levels and mental health parameters (anxiety, depression, and stress) across sex and age groups following COVID-19 recovery; (2) Methods: The sample of participants ( = 288) was selected using a random sampling method and consisted of participants of different ages and both sexes. Participants' self-reported PA was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), while the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) was used to measure negative emotional states. The influence of COVID-19 recovery on PA and mental health (depression, anxiety, stress) was analyzed using MANOVA and follow-up univariate tests by age and sex. Statistical significance was set at < 0.05, with SPSS (v23.0) used for data analysis; (3) Results: A statistically significant difference was observed between the initial and final measurements in PA levels (Wilk's Lambda = 0.95; = 0.000) and mental health (Wilk's Lambda = 0.96; = 0.000) with older individuals-particularly women-demonstrating improved PA levels and better mental health outcomes. In contrast, younger women exhibited a decline in both domains, with increased anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. While younger men showed increased PA, their mental health parameters were slightly elevated, though still within normal ranges; (4) Conclusions: Our findings suggest that older individuals were better adapted to post-COVID challenges due to maturity and life experience, while younger populations may require additional support. The study underscored the complexity of the PA-mental health relationship and highlighted the need for further research, particularly among younger individuals recovering from COVID-19.
(1) 背景：身体活动（PA）与心理健康之间的关系仍然是一个备受关注的话题，尤其是在从 COVID-19 中康复的人群中。本研究旨在探讨 COVID-19 康复后不同性别和年龄组在 PA 水平和心理健康参数（焦虑、抑郁和压力）方面的差异；(2) 方法：采用随机抽样方法选取参与者样本（n = 288），样本由不同年龄和性别的参与者组成。使用国际身体活动问卷（IPAQ）评估参与者自我报告的 PA，同时使用抑郁、焦虑和压力量表（DASS）测量负面情绪状态。使用多变量方差分析（MANOVA）以及按年龄和性别进行的后续单变量检验，分析 COVID-19 康复对 PA 和心理健康（抑郁、焦虑、压力）的影响。设定统计学显著性水平为 p < 0.05，使用 SPSS（v23.0）进行数据分析；(3) 结果：在 PA 水平（威尔克斯 lambda = 0.95；p = 0.000）和心理健康（威尔克斯 lambda = 0.96；p = 0.000）的初始测量和最终测量之间观察到统计学显著差异，年龄较大的个体——尤其是女性——表现出 PA 水平提高和更好的心理健康结果。相比之下，年轻女性在这两个方面均出现下降，焦虑、抑郁和压力症状增加。虽然年轻男性的 PA 有所增加，但其心理健康参数略有升高，不过仍在正常范围内；(4) 结论：我们的研究结果表明，由于成熟度和生活经验，年龄较大的个体更能适应 COVID-19 后的挑战，而年轻人群可能需要额外的支持。该研究强调了 PA 与心理健康关系的复杂性，并突出了进一步研究的必要性，特别是在从 COVID-19 中康复的年轻个体中。
