Within‐day bidirectional associations between physical activity and affect: A real‐time ambulatory study in persons with and without depressive and anxiety disorders
Depression and Anxiety, vol. 39, pp. 922–931
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ambulatory assessments offer opportunities to study physical activity level (PAL) and affect at the group and person-level. We examined bidirectional associations between PAL and affect in a 3-h timeframe and evaluated whether associations differ between people with and without current or remitted depression/anxiety. METHODS: Two-week ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and actigraphy data of 359 participants with current (n = 93), remitted (n = 176), or no (n = 90) Composite International Diagnostic Interview depression/anxiety diagnoses were obtained from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) were assessed by EMA 5 times per day. Average PAL between EMA assessments were calculated from actigraphy data. RESULTS: At the group-level, higher PAL was associated with subsequent higher PA (b = 0.109, p < .001) and lower NA (b = -0.043, p < .001), while higher PA (b = 0.066, p < .001) and lower NA (b = -0.053, p < .001) were associated with subsequent higher PAL. The association between higher PAL and subsequent lower NA was stronger for current depression/anxiety patients than controls (p = .01). At the person-level, analyses revealed heterogeneity in bidirectional associations. CONCLUSIONS: Higher PAL may improve affect, especially among depression/anxiety patients. As the relationships vary at the person-level, ambulatory assessments may help identify who would benefit from behavioral interventions.
Authors 6
-
Sonia Difrancesco corresponding
Amsterdam Public Health · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Affiliation as printed
Amsterdam Public Health Mental Health Program Amsterdam The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
Amsterdam Public Health, Mental Health Program, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-
Amsterdam Public Health · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Affiliation as printed
Amsterdam Public Health Mental Health Program Amsterdam The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
Amsterdam Public Health, Mental Health Program, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
-
National Institute of Mental Health
Affiliation as printed
Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program National Institute of Mental Health Bethesda Maryland USA
Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
-
Albert M. van Hemert Aachen Department of Psychiatry Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center
Leiden University Medical Center
Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
-
University Medical Center Groningen · University of Groningen
Affiliation as printed
Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center for Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation, University of Groningen University Medical Center Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center for Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
-
Amsterdam Public Health · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Affiliation as printed
Amsterdam Public Health Mental Health Program Amsterdam The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
Amsterdam Public Health, Mental Health Program, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Cited by 19 stored of 19
19 results
No patents citing this paper on Lens.org (checked 2026-10-11).