The association between sedentary behaviour and indicators of stress: A systematic review

Abstract

Background Emerging evidence shows sedentary behaviour may be associated with mental health outcomes (e.g. anxiety, depression). Yet, the strength of the evidence linking sedentary behaviour and stress is unclear. This study aimed to synthesise evidence regarding associations between time spent in sedentary behaviour and stress in adults. Methods A systematic search was conducted (January 1990 – November 2018). Following PRISMA guidelines, an evaluation of methodological quality, and best-evidence synthesis of associations between time in sedentary behaviour (including sitting time, TV viewing, computer use) and stress were presented. Twenty-three studies reporting on data from n=68,932 people (age 18-98y, 62.7% women) were included. Results Across the studies (n=2 strong-, n=7 moderate- and n=14 weak-quality), there was insufficient evidence that overall time in sedentary behaviour and sitting time were associated with stress, regardless of the type of measure used (objective or subjective) to assess sedentary behaviour or stress. There was strong evidence of no association between TV viewing, or computer use and stress. Conclusion Although previous research may suggest sedentary behaviour may be linked to mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety, the evidence for an association between various types of sedentary behaviour and stress is limited in quality, and relationships are either inconsistent or null. High-quality longitudinal/interventional research is required to confirm findings and determine the direction of associations between different contexts (i.e. purpose) and domains (i.e. leisure, occupational, transport) of sedentary behaviour and stress.