Examining the relationship between physical literacy and resilience against COVID-19-induced negative mental states in Chinese adolescents

• Published in: BMC public health 2024-06, Vol.24 (1), p.1738-7, Article 1738
• Main Authors: Wu, Jiarun, Kuan, Garry, Wang, Yishuai, Liu, Zhutang, Hu, Xiaoyu, Kueh, Yee Cheng, Zhang, Xinding
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Anxiety; China; China - epidemiology; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease transmission; East Asian People; Emotional regulation; Fear & phobias; Female; Health aspects; Health Literacy - statistics & numerical data; High school students; Humans; Literacy; Male; Mental depression; Mental Health; NSMC; Pandemics; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychological aspects; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Resilience, Psychological; Secondary school students; Secondary schools; Secondary students; Self-efficacy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; Variables; Viral diseases
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18842-x

Research indicates that COVID-19 has had adverse effects on the mental health of adolescents, exacerbating their negative psychological states. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Physical Literacy (PL) on Negative Mental State caused by COVID-19 (NMSC) and identify potential factors related to NMSC and PL in Chinese adolescents. This cross-sectional study involved a total of 729 Chinese high school students with an average age of 16.2 ± 1.1 years. Participants' demographic data, PL data, and NMSC data were collected. PL and NMSC were measured using the self-reported Portuguese Physical Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (PPLA-Q), the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 (SAVE-6), and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19). Adolescents in the current study demonstrated higher levels of NMSC and lower PL, with average scores of 3.45 and 2.26, respectively (on a scale of 5). Through multiple linear regression analysis, Motivation (MO), Confidence (CO), Emotional Regulation (ER), and Physical Regulation (PR) were identified as factors influencing NMSC in adolescents. The study findings contribute to providing guidance for actions aimed at alleviating NMSC among adolescents.