Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysis
Background Adolescence marks a critical transition period, with significant mental health challenges including anxiety and depression symptoms that affect long-term happiness. There has been a lack of research exploring the factors mediating adolescent happiness. Aims To investigate the mediatin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2025-03-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425000225/type/journal_article |
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| author | Na Yin Jing Zhang Honghong Ren Bin Wang Guoqing Zhao Yumei Du |
| author_facet | Na Yin Jing Zhang Honghong Ren Bin Wang Guoqing Zhao Yumei Du |
| author_sort | Na Yin |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Background
Adolescence marks a critical transition period, with significant mental health challenges including anxiety and depression symptoms that affect long-term happiness. There has been a lack of research exploring the factors mediating adolescent happiness.
Aims
To investigate the mediating effects of anxiety and depression on adolescent happiness, as well as the contributions of sociodemographic factors.
Methods
We recruited 392 adolescents. Anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms and happiness were assessed by the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire and single-item happiness scale, respectively. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic information.
Results
Spearman correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations of happiness with anxiety (r = −0.37, P < 0.0001) and depression (r = −0.47, P < 0.0001). Positive predictors of happiness included quality of parents’ marriage (β = 0.12, P = 0.006), regular physical exercise (β = 0.13, P = 0.006) and regular diet (β = 0.10, P = 0.03). Mediation analysis indicated that depressive symptoms (estimate = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.80) and anxiety symptoms (estimate = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.57) partially mediated the relationship between regular exercise and happiness, whereas depressive symptoms completely mediated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and happiness (estimate = −0.14, 95% CI: −0.20 to −0.08).
Conclusion
The findings of this study highlight the intricate interplay of mental health issues, lifestyle factors and adolescent happiness and emphasise the need for comprehensive interventions focusing on enhancing physical activity and addressing psychological health to foster happiness among adolescents.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e41ea59c29a144edb24c7cfbf9e5d81a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-e41ea59c29a144edb24c7cfbf9e5d81a2025-08-20T03:06:36ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242025-03-011110.1192/bjo.2025.22Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysisNa Yin0Jing Zhang1Honghong Ren2Bin Wang3Guoqing Zhao4Yumei Du5https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3501-8325Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaPsychiatry Department, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, Jining, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China Department of Psychology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China Department of Psychology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China Department of Psychology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Healthycare Respiratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China Department of Healthycare Respiratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China Background Adolescence marks a critical transition period, with significant mental health challenges including anxiety and depression symptoms that affect long-term happiness. There has been a lack of research exploring the factors mediating adolescent happiness. Aims To investigate the mediating effects of anxiety and depression on adolescent happiness, as well as the contributions of sociodemographic factors. Methods We recruited 392 adolescents. Anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms and happiness were assessed by the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire and single-item happiness scale, respectively. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic information. Results Spearman correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations of happiness with anxiety (r = −0.37, P < 0.0001) and depression (r = −0.47, P < 0.0001). Positive predictors of happiness included quality of parents’ marriage (β = 0.12, P = 0.006), regular physical exercise (β = 0.13, P = 0.006) and regular diet (β = 0.10, P = 0.03). Mediation analysis indicated that depressive symptoms (estimate = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.80) and anxiety symptoms (estimate = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.57) partially mediated the relationship between regular exercise and happiness, whereas depressive symptoms completely mediated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and happiness (estimate = −0.14, 95% CI: −0.20 to −0.08). Conclusion The findings of this study highlight the intricate interplay of mental health issues, lifestyle factors and adolescent happiness and emphasise the need for comprehensive interventions focusing on enhancing physical activity and addressing psychological health to foster happiness among adolescents. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425000225/type/journal_articleAdolescentshappinessphysical exercise and dietary habitsanxiety and depression symptomsparental marital quality |
| spellingShingle | Na Yin Jing Zhang Honghong Ren Bin Wang Guoqing Zhao Yumei Du Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysis BJPsych Open Adolescents happiness physical exercise and dietary habits anxiety and depression symptoms parental marital quality |
| title | Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysis |
| title_full | Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysis |
| title_fullStr | Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysis |
| title_short | Examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms, regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services: cross-sectional study with mediation analysis |
| title_sort | examining the relationships of happiness and emotional symptoms regular exercise and demographic characteristics among adolescents seeking psychological services cross sectional study with mediation analysis |
| topic | Adolescents happiness physical exercise and dietary habits anxiety and depression symptoms parental marital quality |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425000225/type/journal_article |
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