KB News Desk
Teenagers who engage in at least an hour of physical activity a day are less likely to experience depression and loneliness, according to two recent studies by researchers at Yonsei University.
The findings suggest that regular exercise may help protect adolescents from the psychological effects of academic pressure and emotional abuse at home, prompting calls for schools and policymakers to ensure that teenagers have enough time and opportunities for physical activity.
Both studies were published separately in the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal in June and were co-authored by Kim Jae-yop and Kim Dong-hyeon of Yonsei University.
One study, titled “How Leisure Activities Help Adolescents Cope with Academic Stress and Depression,” analyzed data from 920 students at eight middle schools and seven high schools across South Korea.
The researchers found that greater academic stress was associated with higher levels of depression, while physical activity was linked to lower depression levels and slightly weakened the relationship between academic stress and depression.
About 11 percent of teenagers who exercised for at least an hour a day were classified as being in the depressed group, compared with 17.9 percent of those who exercised less.
The study also examined smartphone use, but found that it did not significantly weaken or strengthen the relationship between academic stress and depression.
A separate study, titled “Parental Psychological Aggression, Loneliness, and Smartphone Addiction in Adolescents,” analyzed data from 911 adolescents recruited from 15 schools across Korea.
It found that adolescents who exercised for less than an hour a day were 1.3 times as likely to belong to a group experiencing high levels of loneliness as those who exercised for at least an hour.
Physical activity also appeared to weaken the link between psychological aggression by parents and loneliness, reducing the likelihood that such experiences would lead to smartphone addiction.
The relationship between exercise and smartphone addiction was more pronounced among girls.
The rate of smartphone addiction was 37 percent among girls who exercised for less than an hour a day, compared with 32.8 percent among those who exercised for at least an hour.
Among boys, the corresponding rates were 41 percent and 40.7 percent, a difference of just 0.3 percentage points.
The findings indicate that physical activity can serve as a protective factor against depression, loneliness and smartphone addiction among adolescents, particularly those exposed to academic stress or emotional abuse.
The researchers said physical activity is often given less priority than core academic subjects in Korean schools and called for greater institutional support to ensure that teenagers get enough exercise.
