An Examination of the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Physical Activity, and Mental Health of College Students
Open Access
Author:
Race, Lucy
Area of Honors:
Kinesiology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Melissa Jean Bopp, Thesis Supervisor Jonas Rubenson, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
physical activity adverse childhood experiences mental health college students
Abstract:
Physical activity has been associated with several health benefits. In addition to the impact on physical health status and chronic disease, exercise has been shown to decrease risks of mental illness such as anxiety and depression. Despite this knowledge, the prevalence of mental illness in the population remains high, with college students being affected at a disproportionate rate. One factor related to mental illness that may contribute is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, physical activity, and mental health in college students. Participants were asked to participate in a survey examining self-reported PA, mental health outcomes, and ACE exposure. Data was analyzed by SPSS software, where t-tests and correlations were set at p<0.05. Female students with ACEs reported higher levels of stress and depression and lower levels of MPA, VPA, and MET-mins. Male students with ACEs reported higher levels of depression and alcoholic drinks per week. This experiment served as an exploratory study to determine if relationships existed between ACEs and physical activity and mental health variables. Future studies could benefit from examining the presence of a graded relationship between ACEs and from using more objective measurements of PA.
