Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Apr 2021)
Frequent Sports Dance May Serve as a Protective Factor for Depression Among College Students: A Real-World Data Analysis in China
Abstract
Lirong Zhang,1 Shaocong Zhao,1 Wei Weng,1 Qiong Lin,2 Minmin Song,3 Shouren Wu,2 Hua Zheng4 1Department of Physical Education, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen, Fujian, 361024, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Physical Education, JiMei University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361021, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Physical Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350008, People’s Republic of China; 4College of Physical Education and Health Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 400047, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hua ZhengCollege of Physical Education and Health Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 400047, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86- 15923028254Email [email protected]: This study aims to investigate the role of frequent sports dance in preventing mental disorders, including anxiety and depression, among college students using real-world data, and to further analyze potential risk factors associated with anxiety and depression.Methods: We investigated 921 college students from eight universities in China. A survey was completed by 901 students and they were included in the analysis. The anxiety score was evaluated by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale and the depression score was evaluated by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Subgroup comparisons were performed among frequent sports dance students and non-frequent sports dance students.Results: Of all the students, 9.98% had moderate-to-severe anxiety and 14.65% students suffered from moderate-to-severe depression. Compared with non-frequent sports dance students, frequent sports dance students had significantly lower depression scores (P=0.04). According to the multiple logistic regression models, when potential confounding factors were all adjusted, frequent sports dance was also significantly associated with less depression (OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.36– 0.84, P< 0.01). We also found that higher college grade levels (P< 0.01), non-physical education students (P=0.02), higher body mass index (P=0.02), lower exercise frequency per week (P< 0.01), addiction to drinking (P=0.02), and previous diagnosis of anxiety or depression in hospital (P< 0.01) were significantly associated with more anxiety; higher college grade levels (P< 0.01), addiction to drinking (P< 0.01), preference for eating fried food (P=0.02), soda as the main source of drinking water (P=0.01), and previous diagnosis of anxiety or depression (P=0.03) were significantly associated with more depression, while higher exercise frequency per week (P< 0.01), only-child status (P< 0.01), and preference for eating vegetables (P=0.02) were significantly associated with less depression.Conclusion: Anxiety and depression are common among college students. Frequent sports dance may serve as a protective factor for preventing depression and it can be recommended for college students.Keywords: sports dance, college student, anxiety, depression, risk factor
