title: Sedentary behavior, depressed affect, and indicators of mental well-being in adolescence: Does the screen only matter for girls?
abstract: The study investigated the effects of sedentary behavior (SB) on mental well-being and examined differences between screen-based (sSB) and non-screen-based sedentary behaviors (nSB) separately by gender. In a total sample of 1296 students (609 girls) aged 12-17 (m = 13.7, SD = 0.67), SB, depressed affect, self-esteem, physical self-concept, general self-efficacy and physical activity were assessed through self-administered questionnaires. Among girls, lower scores in self-esteem, physical self-concept as well as general self-efficacy were associated with higher sSB but not nSB. Among boys higher levels of sSB related to higher self-esteem, nSB but not sSB predicted higher scores in depressed affect, and there was a u-shaped association between sSB and general self-efficacy. Results replicate the inverse association between SB and mental well-being, and suggest a distinction between nSB and sSB especially among girls. Additional studies will be necessary to replicate, and further examine mediating mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Therapy and Health Research (IFT-Nord), Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: suchert@ift-nord.de.
authors.forename: Vivien
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Suchert
authors.affiliation: Institute for Therapy and Health Research (IFT-Nord), Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: hanewinkel@ift-nord.de.
authors.forename: Reiner
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanewinkel
authors.affiliation: Institute for Therapy and Health Research (IFT-Nord), Kiel, Germany. Electronic address: isensee@ift-nord.de.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Isensee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescence; Mental well-being; Screen time; Sedentary behavior