Document Type : Original research study
Abstract
Depression and anxiety are two common physiological health problems that can cause disabilities in adolescence and adulthood. If not be resolved, these disorders can lead to major problems. On the other hand, physical activity and exercise can be helpful in decreasing depression and anxiety through physiological and social interventions.213 female and 261 male students were selected through cluster-random sampling method. Data were collected using two questionnaires, HADS and IPAQ. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between the level of physical activity and depression/anxiety; on the other hand, T-independent test was used to compare the level of physical activity and the levels of depression and anxiety in male and female groups (α=0.05).The findings suggested that in male students the physical activity was reversely correlated with both anxiety (r=-0.14) and depression (r=-0.15), while in female students the physical activity was reversely correlated with both anxiety (r=-0.05) and depression (r=-0.08) but this correlation was insignificant. In comparing male and female groups, there was no significant difference in the levels of physical activity, anxiety, and depression. The correlation was not so strong in males and was insignificant in females; this finding may be attributed to the fact that the total time allocated to exercise course in schools was not so considerable. Finally, the combination of the theoretical foundations, the related research literature, and the analysis of the data lead us towards this conclusion that an increase in the level of physical activity can result in a corresponding decrease in the level of depression/ anxiety in high-school students.
Keywords
)