The Relationships Between Physical Activity Levels, Mental Health, and Behavioral Motivations

Over half of college students report detrimental mental health symptoms (Inam et al., 2003; Makrides et al., 1998). A lack of physical activity in most college students (ACHA, 2022) may contribute to negative mental health outcomes. I examined the associations between objective and subjective physical activity and sedentary behavior with self-reported psychological distress. I expected that higher levels of physical activity would be related to lower psychological distress and more frequent sedentary behavior would be related to greater psychological distress. I also examined the frequency of behavioral motivations for physical activity and sedentary behavior. I hypothesized that some common motivations would be related to health, difficulty engaging, enjoyment, and relaxation. Participants (N= 91) completed two questionnaires in separate lab visits and wore an accelerometer for five days. The results showed that physical activity and sedentary behavior were not significant predictors of psychological distress. However, poor subjective sleep quality and regular smoking behavior predicted greater psychological distress. For the second research question, positive health and friend expectations, and fulfillment were found as common physical activity and sedentary behavior motivations. The findings suggest that perceived sleep quality and smoking behaviors are influential to negative mental health symptoms in college students.<p></p>