Effects of Physical Activity on Psychosocial Distress among Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Mediating Role of Resilience

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of physical activity level on psychosocial distress among children during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the mediating role of resilience. Method: The participants included 384 children aged 10 to 12 years (mean age of 11.10±0.73 years). Data was collected using standard questionnaires. Spearman correlation test and structural equation method were employed for analyzing the data. Results: Level of students’ physical activity was lower than the average (1.90), and psychosocial distress of our sample was higher than normal (49.77). The results showed that physical activity had significant effects on psychosocial distress (8.25) and resilience (10.17). In addition, resilience had a significant effect on psychosocial distress (5.98). Finally, resilience acted as a significant mediator in the association between physical activity and psychosocial distress (P lt;0.001). Conclusion: These findings propose that physical activity can be assumed as an essential variable in coping with severe conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.