Physical activity for the prevention of depression in adolescents

Abstract

Overview of the subject: Adolescents are prone to develop depression due to physical and psychological alterations (Stikkelbroek et al., 2016). However, social aspects such as the social media, gender norms and family history are also considered as critical catalysts for the development of depression in adolescents. The main purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effectiveness of physical activity to prevent adolescent depression (World Health Organization, 2020) (WHO). Research Question and the PICO elements: “Do adolescents who engage in physical exercise have a lesser risk of acquiring depression when compared to those who do not engage in exercise?” The research question was developed by the following PICO elements; population (P) based on adolescents, intervention (I) the participation in physical activity, comparison (C) absence of physical activity, outcome (O) to prevent depressive symptoms/depression. Method: The six articles were retrieved by literature search via HyDi and PubMed. This process was performed by the inclusion of Alternative keywords which were applied to the key terms, search tools to join or remove keywords within the respective search. Lastly, the inclusion and exclusion criteria was applied respectively to search for the most reliable articles. This criteria was demonstrated in figure 2.1 and table 2.3. Results and Conclusion: The articles consisted of 5 Cohort studies and 1 Case series study. These articles were criticized by the utilisation of the CASP Tool. The author of this dissertation found that physical activity may be beneficial to prevent depressive symptoms. However, all the authors of the six retrieved articles concluded that further search has to be conducted on higher evidence based practice. Implications and recommendations: Firstly, local researchers should participate in foreign studies to compare the local situation with the international context. Furthermore, adequate education regarding managemental aspects of adolescent depression must be provided for the general public, patients and their relatives. Lastly, ensuring competence in following the latest evidence based practice guidelines is critical for all formal caregivers.