title: Women's college physical activity and self-reports of physician-diagnosed depression and of current symptoms of psychiatric distress.
abstract: It is believed that physical activity is protective against depression. This paper investigates the association between women's athletic activity in the college and precollege years and physician-diagnosed depression in postcollege years. College alumnae (n = 3940), former college athletes and nonathletes, completed a detailed self-administered questionnaire that sought information on health histories up to the present time, including questions on history of physician-diagnosed depression and current symptoms of psychiatric distress. A negative association between college athletic activity and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression in the last 10 years was observed (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.664, with 95% confidence limits [CL] 0.545, 0.808, p < 0.0001). Other factors significantly associated with depression are living with a spouse, at time of reporting-protective; self-rated current health good to poor compared with very good or excellent; alcoholism; and having a doctoral degree-risk factors. Current state variables based on the Rand Mental Health Inventory-5 (RMHI-5) were also more favorable among athletes. This is the first study to report a long-term beneficial association between women's college athletic activity and self-reported physician-diagnosed depression in the postcollege years and current symptoms of psychiatric distress. The findings support the Surgeon General's promotion of the health benefits of physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachesetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wyshak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology