Keeping Things Positive: Affect as a Mediator between Physical Activity and Psychological Functioning

Aliakbar Foroughi; Nils T Henschel; Hassan Shahi; Scott S Hall; Lawrence S Meyers; Kheirollah Sadeghi; Aliakbar Parvizifard; Klaus Boehnke; Serge Brand

doi:10.3390/ejihpe13110171

Keeping Things Positive: Affect as a Mediator between Physical Activity and Psychological Functioning

Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2023 Nov 2;13(11):2428-2459. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe13110171.

Authors

Aliakbar Foroughi^{1

2}, Nils T Henschel³, Hassan Shahi^{1

4}, Scott S Hall⁵, Lawrence S Meyers⁶, Kheirollah Sadeghi¹, Aliakbar Parvizifard¹, Klaus Boehnke³, Serge Brand^{7

8

9

10

11

12}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah 6714415333, Iran.
² Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah 6714415333, Iran.
³ Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences, Constructor University, 28759 Bremen, Germany.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah 94Q4+6G3, Iran.
⁵ Department of Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA.
⁶ Psychology Department, College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies, California State University, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA.
⁷ Center for Affective, Sleep and Stress Disorders, Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland.
⁸ Division of Sport Science and Psychosocial Health, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland.
⁹ Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah 6714415333, Iran.
¹⁰ Sleep Disorders Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah 6714415333, Iran.
¹¹ School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran 14166-34793, Iran.
¹² Center for Disaster Psychiatry and Disaster Psychology, Psychiatric Clinics of the University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland.

Abstract

Higher physical activity is generally associated with more favorable psychological functioning. However, the role of positive and negative affect in such associations is unclear. Accordingly, this cross-sectional study explored whether affect mediated the relationship of physical activity with psychological well-being (PWB) and psychological dysfunctioning (PD). Young Iranian adults (N = 200) completed self-rating questionnaires covering physical activity, positive and negative affect, and proxies of PWB and PD. Regression analyses indicated that higher physical activity levels and higher positive and lower negative affect predicted proxies of PWB. The same (albeit in the opposite direction) applied to proxies of PD. Structural equation modeling indicated that positive and negative affect mediated the relationship between physical activity and PWB/PD. Accordingly, change in affect might be an important mechanism behind the association of physical activity and PWB/PD. Future research should further explore this across target populations and cultural contexts. Longitudinal and/or experimental studies are needed to disentangle causality.

Keywords: physical activity; positive and negative affect; psychological dysfunctioning; psychological well-being.

Grants and funding

The authors report that there is no funding to declare.