title: The Relationship between Motor Skills, Perceived Social Support, and Internalizing Problems in a Community Adolescent Sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Poor motor skills are associated with a range of psychosocial consequences, including internalizing (anxious and depressive) symptoms. The Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis provides a causal framework to explain this association. The framework posits that motor skills impact internalizing problems through an indirect effect via perceived social support. However, empirical evaluation is required. We examined whether motor skills had an indirect effect on anxious and depressive symptoms via perceived family support domains.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a community sample of 93 adolescents (12-16 years). Participants completed measures of motor skills, perceived social support across three dimensions (family, friend, and significant other), depressive symptoms, and anxious symptoms. Age, gender, verbal IQ, and ADHD symptoms were included as control variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analysis using PROCESS revealed that motor skills had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms via perceived family support, but not by perceived friend support or significant other support. The negative association between motor skills and anxious symptoms was not mediated by any perceived social support domain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings are consistent with previous literature indicating an association between motor skills and internalizing problems. However, we identified a different pattern of relationships across anxious and depressive symptoms. While anxiety and depressive symptoms were highly correlated, motor skills had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms via perceived family support only. Our findings highlight the importance of family support as a potential protective factor in the onset of depressive symptoms. This study provides partial support for the Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis, however further research is required.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Vincent O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rigoli
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University Perth, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Brody
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heritage
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Lynne D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University Perth, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Jan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Piek
keywords: adolescents; anxiety; depression; internalizing problems; motor development; motor skills; movement