Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
April 12, 2026SHILAP Revista de lepidopterologíaOpen Access

Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the six-wave German COPSY study

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Authors

SBSteven BehnANAnn-Kathrin NappFRFranziska Reiß

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Longitudinal analysis examines the link between physical activity and mental health in youth, suggesting implications for crisis preparedness.

Key Points

  • The study aims to explore the relationship between physical activity and mental health outcomes among children and adolescents during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Utilized data from six waves of the German COPSY cohort with 1,819 participants aged 11 to 21.
  • Categorized physical activity into low, medium, and high levels based on self-reported frequency.
  • Assessed health-related quality of life and mental health problems using standardized parent-reported measures.
  • Employ linear mixed models to examine associations between physical activity and mental health outcomes.
  • Higher levels of physical activity were associated with better health-related quality of life.
  • Increased physical activity correlated with fewer mental health problems.
  • Improvements in quality of life were small to moderate when comparing high PA to low PA.
  • A small interaction indicated that older adolescents benefited slightly more from high physical activity.

Cite This Study

Behn et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69db35be4fe01fead37c4441https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2026.1776510
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Impact of physical activity on symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic2025 · 4 citations
  2. 2Physical activity on the mental health of children and adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic-induced school closures—A systematic review2024 · 13 citations
  3. 3Changes in School-Based Physical Activity and Well-Being Among Adolescents Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic2026
  4. 4Effects of COVID-19 on Physical Activity and Its Relationship With Mental Health in a US Community Sample: Cross-sectional, Convenience Sampling–based Online Survey2022 · 12 citations
  5. 5Non-linear dose-response association between physical activity and mental health in adolescents: a prospective cohort study based on SEARCH2025