Health enhancing behaviors in early adolescence: an investigation of nutrition, sleep, physical activity, mindfulness and social connectedness and their association with psychological distress and wellbeing

Kassie Bromley; Dashiell Sacks; Amanda Boyes; Christina Driver; Daniel Hermens

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1413268

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Health enhancing behaviors in early adolescence: an investigation of nutrition, sleep, physical activity, mindfulness and social connectedness and their association with psychological distress and wellbeing

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Health enhancing behaviors in early adolescence: an investigation of nutrition, sleep, physical activity, mindfulness and social connectedness and their association with psychological distress and wellbeing

Kassie Bromley, Dashiell Sacks, Amanda Boyes, Christina Driver and Daniel Hermens

Frontiers in Psychiatry, Vol.15, pp.1-12

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1413268

PMCID: PMC11461338

PMID: 39386899

Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection

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Abstract

sleep

adolescence

psychological distress

wellbeing

nutrition

physical activity

midfulness

social connectedness

Thompson Institute Special Collection

Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study

Youth mental health

UniSC Diversity Area - Life Stages

Introduction: Nutrition, sleep and physical activity are termed the “big three” health enhancing behaviors (HEB) associated with psychological distress and wellbeing. This study sought to understand differential associations between an expanded group of HEB (nutrition, sleep, physical activity, mindfulness, social connectedness) and psychological distress/wellbeing in early adolescents. Methods: Correlational and regression analyses were conducted in N=103 (51% females) adolescents (12.6 ± 0.3 years of age) recruited from the Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study. Results: Higher scores on sleep, social connectedness and mindfulness scales were significantly associated with lower psychological distress scores. While higher scores on social connectedness and mindfulness scales were significantly associated with higher wellbeing scores. When adjusting for sex, nutrition, sleep, social connectedness and mindfulness accounted for a significant proportion of variance in the psychological distress model whereas physical activity and social connectedness accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in the wellbeing model. Discussions: Overall findings make a strong case for expansion of the “big three” HEB to include mindfulness and social connectedness, especially given social connectedness emerged as the strongest predictor of both psychological distress and wellbeing. In addition, this research suggests that early adolescent nutrition, sleep quality, and mindfulness should be prioritized in efforts to reduce risk of difficulties, and physical activity prioritized as a protective factor for wellbeing in this population. Findings have implications for interventions, emphasizing the importance of addressing HEB factors comprehensively and tailoring strategies to the unique needs of early adolescents to foster positive mental health outcomes.

Details

Title: Health enhancing behaviors in early adolescence: an investigation of nutrition, sleep, physical activity, mindfulness and social connectedness and their association with psychological distress and wellbeing
Authors: Kassie Bromley (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Dashiell Sacks (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Amanda Boyes (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Christina Driver (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Daniel Hermens (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson Institute
Publication details: Frontiers in Psychiatry, Vol.15, pp.1-12
Publisher: Frontiers Research Foundation
Date published: 2024
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1413268
ISSN: 1664-0640
PMID: 39386899; PMC11461338
Copyright note: © 2024 Bromley, Sacks, Boyes, Driver and Hermens. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Data Availability: The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
Grant note: The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. KB was supported by a the ‘Ngaire Roberts Youth Mental Health PhD Scholarship’. The LABS is supported by a grant from the Australian Commonwealth Government’s ‘Prioritizing Mental Health Initiative’.
Organisation Unit: Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991064795202621
Output Type: Journal article

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