Mendoza-Muñoz Maria, López-Gil José Francisco, Pereira-Payo Damián, Pastor-Cisneros Raquel
Department of Communication and Education, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41014 Sevilla, Spain.
School of Medicine, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Samborondón 092301, Ecuador.
Children (Basel). 2025 Aug 6;12(8):1032. doi: 10.3390/children12081032.
Psychological inflexibility, which includes experiential avoidance, is a transdiagnostic process associated with multiple mental health issues in adolescence. Physical fitness (PF) has shown benefits for mental well-being, yet its specific relationship with psychological inflexibility remains understudied, particularly among youth. To examine the association between components of PF and psychological inflexibility, measured by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from 631 adolescents (aged 12-17) participating in the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities (EHDLA) study. PF was assessed by the Assessing the Levels of PHysical Activity and Fitness (ALPHA-Fit) Test Battery (cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, agility, and flexibility). Psychological inflexibility was measured using the AAQ-II. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to evaluate associations, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, socioeconomic status, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and energy intake. Unadjusted analyses showed weak but significant associations between psychological inflexibility and performance in the 20 m shuttle run test ( = 0.002), the 4 × 10 shuttle run test ( = 0.005), and the sit-and-reach test ( < 0.001). However, after adjusting for covariates, none of the PF components maintained a statistically significant association with the AAQ-II scores. In this adolescent sample, PF components were not independently associated with psychological inflexibility after adjustment for key confounders. These findings suggest that, while PF may contribute to general well-being, it is not a primary determinant of psychological inflexibility. Further longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms linking physical and psychological health in youth.
心理僵化，包括经验性回避，是一种与青少年多种心理健康问题相关的跨诊断过程。身体健康（PF）已显示出对心理健康有益，但其与心理僵化的具体关系仍未得到充分研究，尤其是在青少年中。为了研究PF的各个组成部分与心理僵化之间的关联，该研究以西班牙青少年的代表性样本为对象，采用接受与行动问卷第二版（AAQ-II）对心理僵化进行测量。使用来自参与“健康饮食与日常生活活动”（EHDLA）研究的631名青少年（年龄在12至17岁之间）的数据进行横断面分析。通过“评估身体活动和健康水平”（ALPHA-Fit）测试组合（心肺功能、肌肉力量、敏捷性和柔韧性）来评估PF。使用AAQ-II测量心理僵化。采用广义线性模型（GLM）评估关联，并对年龄、性别、体重指数、社会经济地位、身体活动、久坐行为、睡眠时间和能量摄入进行调整。未经调整的分析显示，心理僵化与20米往返跑测试成绩（ = 0.002）、4×10往返跑测试成绩（ = 0.005）以及坐位体前屈测试成绩（ < 0.001）之间存在微弱但显著的关联。然而，在对协变量进行调整后，PF的各个组成部分与AAQ-II得分均未保持统计学上的显著关联。在这个青少年样本中，在对关键混杂因素进行调整后，PF组成部分与心理僵化并非独立相关。这些发现表明，虽然PF可能有助于总体幸福感，但它不是心理僵化的主要决定因素。需要进一步的纵向研究和干预研究来阐明青少年身体与心理健康之间的联系机制。
