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The association between diet and sleep with internalising symptoms in young athletes: a serial multiple mediation models
Anxiety and depression rates among athletes are frequently on par with or greater than those of non-athletes. A balanced diet can help alleviate internalizing symptoms, and factors like diet and sleep are linked to mental health issues in athletes. This study by Gao & Wang (2024) looks at how dietary practices affect athletes’ internalizing symptoms (such anxiety and sadness) and how sleep quality influences this relationship. This cross-sectional study involved 758 young Chinese athletes. The Athletes Sleep Screening Questionnaire was used to quantify sleep quality, and the modified Australian Athletes Diet Index was used to evaluate dietary trends. The authors further used the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scale to assess symptoms of anxiety and sadness, revealing on initial data analysis that there were no discernible indirect effects on teenage athletes. However, the association between chronotype (desire for a certain sleep pattern) and sleep quality in adult athletes was mediated by food. Furthermore, the links between food and depression and anxiety were found to be mediated by the quality of sleep. Both diet and sleep quality together mediated the relationship between chronotypes and anxiety and depression. In young adult athletes, sleep quality serves as a mediator in the relationship between dietary patterns and internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression). Moreover, both diet and sleep quality mediate the association between chronotypes and internalizing symptoms [NPID: Diet, sleep, internalising symptoms, athletes, mediation]
Year: 2024
