Associations of overall sitting time and sitting time in different contexts with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms

Abstract

Spending a lot of time sitting has been linked to more depressive symptoms and spending a lot of time engaged in screen-based sitting has been linked to greater likelihood of having mental disorders and poorer psychological distress. The purpose of this study was to examine whether overall sitting time and time spent sitting in different contexts was associated with depression, anxiety, or stress symptoms. Sitting time (time spent sitting on typical work-and non-work days while engaged in leisure activities, working, using a computer, watching television, and in transport) and symptom severity of depression, anxiety and stress were self-reported in a cross-sectional online survey in 2012 by Australian adults (N=1,104, 55% female, M age=58 years). Associations were examined using negative binomial regression analyses accounting for the covariates of physical activity, sex, age, income, education, and presence of chronic conditions. Overall sitting time was significantly associated with more severe depression (b=0.01, 95% CI= 0.00 -0.02) and anxiety (b=0.03, 95% CI= 0.02 -0.04) but not stress (b=0.01, 95% CI= -0.00 -0.02) symptoms. Time spent sitting while at a computer was associated with more severe depression (b=0.04, 95% CI= 0.01 -0.07) and anxiety (b=0.03, 95% CI= 0.00 -0.06) symptoms, and time spent sitting while in transport was associated with more severe anxiety (b=0.09, 95% CI= 0.05 -0.13) and stress (b=0.05, 95% CI= 0.02 -0.08) symptoms. Limiting overall sitting time and time spent sitting while at a computer or in transport could be a potential strategy to improve mental health. Evidence is emerging that more sitting time is associated with depressive symptoms or likelihood of having mental disorders (Arredondo et al., 2013; Balboa-Castillo, León-Muñoz, Graciani, Rodríguez-Artalejo, & Guallar-Castillón, 2011;Hamer, Stamatakis, & Mishra, 2010;Peeters, Burton, & Brown, 2012;Sanchez-Villegas et al., 2008;Teychenne, Ball, & Salmon, 2010a, 2010bvan Uffelen et al., 2013), but no studies have tested how sitting time is related to anxiety or stress symptoms. Anxiety and stress are important aspects of mental health to investigate, given that more than 75% of people report experiencing some stress or anxiety symptoms (Crawford & Henry, 2003), and between 5-10% of the population in developed countries have severe depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders (Demyttenare et al., 2004). Even mild symptoms of anxiety and stress can be highly debilitating and contribute considerably to burden of disease (S. Cohen & Williamson, 1991; Kalia, 2002; Kiecolt-Glaser, McGuire, Robles, & Glaser, 2002; Pietrzak et al., 2012;Rai et al., 2012), so it is important to determine whether sitting time is linked to anxiety and stress, as well as to depression symptoms. These studies suggest that more time spent sitting overall (i.e., across multiple sitting activities) is associated with more severe depressive symptoms; however it remains unclear whether overall sitting time is associated with severity of anxiety or s...

Effect of university students’ sedentary behavior on stress, anxiety, and depression

“…TA B L E 2 Stress, anxiety, and depression per participants' demographic characteristics (N = 244) 17 On the other hand, one study showed that while sedentary behavior was significantly related with anxiety and depression, no significant correlation was found with stress. 39 In addition, another study reported no correlation between sedentary behavior and mental health, 15 contradicting the results of this study. Additionally, participants with more than 6 h of seated working were found to have a significantly higher level of psychological distress compared to those who had less.…”

“…Research on the correlation between university students’ sedentary behavior and mental health is limited; however, a 6‐year cohort study on university graduates in Spain revealed that participants who were seated for over 42 h per week were 1.3 times more likely to experience mental disorders such as stress, anxiety, and depression compared to participants who sat 10.5 h per week . On the other hand, one study showed that while sedentary behavior was significantly related with anxiety and depression, no significant correlation was found with stress . In addition, another study reported no correlation between sedentary behavior and mental health, contradicting the results of this study.…”

Psychosocial Syndemic of Suicidal Ideation Among Sexually Transmitted infection Patients in Shanghai, China

“…Respondents rate how often they feel a certain way (e.g., "These days, the people in my life would be better off if I were gone"), ranging from not at all true for me (1) to very true for me (7). Six items (7,8,10,13,14) have to be recoded before computing. Any report outcome higher than the 75th percentile score of 49 would be defined as unsatisfied with interpersonal needs (Cronbach's α: 0.855; range: 15-96).…”

“…This should not be surprising, considering suicidal ideation and behavior are known as outcomes of feeling trapped in a stressful situation, with no evident escape or rescue possible 51 ; this has been found in diverse populations and in the context of various disorders and research methodologies [45][46] . Despite prevalence of poor psychosocial status among STI patients, huge gaps are still visible in concern and service, due to inadequate information and emotional support, and a shortage of qualified psychosocial professional treatment 8,[52][53][54] .…”

“…Previous studies revealed the association between certain psychosocial conditions and suicidal ideation. Studies have confirmed that low self-esteem and depression are the principal factors behind suicidal ideation [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] , and morecurrent articles have reported that loneliness, unsatisfied interpersonal needs, entrapment, defeat, and poor social support are also strong predictors of suicidal ideation 12,14,[19][20][21] . One study conducted in China reported that poor social support was the strongest predictor of suicidal ideation, in addition to depression and low self-esteem 19 .…”