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Abstract
Many college students are indeed diagnosed or show signs of depression. Previous
studies and research have studied the benefits of exercise towards an individuals overall wellbeing, mainly on health. In this study, a correlational design was used to measure the strength of
the relationship between the amount of exercise and level of depression within undergraduate
students attending University of California, Irvine. A negative correlation was hypothesized, and
a small-to-medium negative correlation, and a calculation of r = -0.21834184 for the two
variables resulted from the study. This result suggests that those who exercise more do indeed
have lower levels of depression, or that those who are more depressed are less active and do not
exercise as often.
Keywords: College students, depression, exercise, health
Edman, Lynch, and Yates (2014) focused on studying depression based on gender. Based
on their studies, they examined the relationship between exercise and depression, dissatisfaction
in various areas in the participants life, and tested these areas for males and females. They found
that females were more susceptible to being depressed in comparison to males, and that exercise
was only negatively correlated to depression in males. T-test analyses were used in order to study
various scores in depression between the different genders, as well as the different
dissatisfactions that each gender had in their own lives. The results indeed showed a higher
reported rate of depression in females, and that exercise did not really benefit them in terms of
levels of depression, because females were more prone to having exercise performance
dissatisfaction. Females were more likely to be critical of themselves, even during exercise,
which was not a treatment for depression like the researchers had predicted. However, males
showed a negative correlation in which more exercise decreased their level of depression. In our
study, we are interested in whether or not college students in general indeed have a negative
correlation between exercise and depression, regardless of gender.
Based on previous research that exercise is associated with lower levels of stress which
has been shown to be an effective treatment for depression, we hypothesized that there would be
a negative correlation between exercise and depressive symptoms, in which more exercise will
correspond with lower levels of depression.
Method
Participants
For this study, we sampled 40 undergraduate college students from University of
California, Irvine. We put our survey on Google forms and collected data from our classmates
during the data collection extravaganza in class. We did not control participants based on their
Procedures
During the data extravaganza in the Social Ecology 10 class, we were able to collect data
from all 40 of our participants by having them take our survey that was available to take on our
laptops. The entire survey was administered in one sitting, and should took no more than 5
minutes to complete. Before taking the survey, we attached a consent form which briefly
described that we were studying exercise and depression, and would further explain the details of
our study and our hypothesis in the debrief statement that was attached on a new page at the end
of the survey. We had our participants agree to the terms before proceeding to the first question
of the survey.
Proposed Analyses
After receiving the data of how many times the participant exercises a week as well as an
added up total from the depression scale, we plotted these results on a scatter plot diagram with
the number of times the participant exercises a week as the variable on the x-axis, and the level
of depressive symptoms as the 2nd variable on the y-axis. Adding up the scores from the BDI
showed us what level of depression the participant had, including sections such as normal
conditions, mild depression, moderate depression, severe depression, etc. We also calculated an r
variable to measure the correlation and were able to determine if the correlation was positive or
negative. Using a scatterplot diagram measured the association between exercise and depression,
which we used to analyze our data to test our hypothesis.
Results
For our study, we used a correlation study as a statistical test in order to observe the
relationship of our two variables. One of our variables for this study is the amount of exercise the
participants do per week, and our second variable is the level of depression calculated as a
depression score from Becks Depression Inventory (BDI). Both of these variables are
continuous variables. Having calculated the results from all 40 participants for our study, the
correlational variable was r = -0.21834184, which indicates a small-to-medium negative
correlation (Figure 1). This means that the more often a participant exercised, the lower the level
of depression they had.
Discussion
Prior to collecting any data for our analysis, we hypothesized that there would be a
negative correlation between the amount of exercise one did a week and the level of depression
they had based on Becks Depression Inventory (BDI). Although we hypothesized that there
would be a negative correlation, we did not specifically predict the strength of the correlation.
Nonetheless, our results came out to be a small-to-medium sized correlation (r = -0.21834184)
between exercise and depression. This relationship can exist due to many reasons, including the
fact that our sample population attends a well-rounded public university that strives to meet the
needs of students. Therefore, a gym is conveniently located on campus where students have easy
access to work out in the midst of feeling stress from school, work, and balancing all the
different areas of their lives. We strongly believed that the more someone exercises, the more
they would be able to get their minds off of school and overall be happier versus depressed as
their bodies became healthier.
However, an alternative explanation for this finding could possibly be that more exercise
actually causes an individual to be less depressed through a means of depression treatment, or
that lower levels of depression could possibly make an individual go outside and exercise more
than an individual who has a higher level of depression. In this case, there would be a causal
relationship between exercise and the level of depression. Another possible alternative
explanation for this finding could be related to our sample population. Due to the fact that all 40
of our participants were taken from a class that is a required course for all Psychology and Social
Behavior (PSB) major, it is likely that most of the students in this class are indeed PSB majors.
As a PSB major myself, I am aware of the required courses that students attending University of
California, Irvine must take, including courses such as Health Psychology which educates
students of the benefits of exercise when it comes to diseases, sickness, or physical pains. The
alternative explanation for our finding could possibly be that the participants in our study are
PSB majors who have already been taught about the benefits of exercise and have actually
become individuals who exercise more often and are overall healthier and happier.
A limitation to our data collection is that all of our data was taken from participants in
one class, during a time when all the other students in the class were also collecting data from
other students. Everyone was focused on collecting data for their own studies that it is likely that
the participants in our own study were simply taking our survey without reading the questions
carefully and taking the time to answer them truthfully. In addition, because we handed our
participants our laptops which contained the survey and waited for them to finish the survey, they
may have felt pressure to finish sooner in contrast to taking the survey by themselves with no
feelings of being rushed. The fact that we were there to give and take the laptop back could also
have affected the participants perception of their own anonymity. Because we actually had
contact with the participants, this could have altered their answers, especially in the self-reported
section of how often they exercise per week, where they could have easily overstated this
number in hopes of being seen as a healthier and more active individual.
Another possible limitation to our research is our sample size. Many of our participants
consisted of our classmates who we personally walked up to, and it is possible that I
subconsciously asked classmates who I felt more comfortable approaching (females who looked
less intimidating). Therefore, our sample size may not be a true representation of the general
publics exercise and depression relationship.
For future studies, a larger number and range of participants would be helpful to achieve
more accurate results that represent the desired targeted sample. In addition, answers would be
more authentic if participants were given a longer allocated time to take the survey, without the
distractions of other people talking and shuffling around them. Furthermore, links should be
provided for participants to take by themselves at their own convenience in order to provide
complete anonymity of their answers to guarantee and respect their privacy.
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References
Beck, A. T, Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for
measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561-571.
Edman, J. L., Lynch, W. C., & Yates, A. (2014). The Impact of Exercise Performance
Dissatisfaction and Physical Exercise on Symptoms of Depression Among College
Students: A Gender Comparison. Journal Of Psychology, 148(1), 23-35.
doi:10.1080/00223980.2012.737871
Heinzel, S., Lawrence, J. B., Kallies, G., Rapp, M. A., & Heissel, A. (2015). Using exercise to
fight depression in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. GeroPsych: The
Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry,28(4), 149-162.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1024/1662-9647/a000133
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Figure 1
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Stimulus Materials
Consent Statement:
This questionnaire is being administered for the purpose of a Social Ecology
student who is taking a Research Design Course in which they must create a research
project. This survey is comprised of questions regarding exercise and depression. The
survey itself should take around 5 minutes; please read each question and answer the
questions to the best of your ability. There are no benefits to you for participating in
this study. However, the risks to this survey include potential feelings of sadness due
to the personal questions on depression. If, at any time, you cannot or do not wish to
answer any of the questions, you may skip that question or you may choose to end the
survey. Participation in this study is completely voluntary. This survey is
anonymous; your answers will not, in any way, be connected with your name, profile,
or any personal information. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask the
experimenter who gave you the survey. If you are agree to participate, please proceed
to the next page.
I am sad
2.
3.
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4.
5.
6.
17
I expect to be punished.
I am disappointed in myself.
I hate myself.
I have thoughts of killing myself, but I would not carry them out.
7.
8.
9.
18
I used to be able to cry, but now I can't cry even though I want to.
10.
11.
12.
19
13.
14.
unattractive.
3
15.
20
I wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual and find it hard to get back to sleep.
I wake up several hours earlier than I used to and cannot get back to sleep.
16.
17.
18.
21
22
19.
20.
constipation.
2
I am very worried about physical problems and it's hard to think of much else
21.
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22.
How many times a week do you exercise?
Write your answer here: ____
Debriefing Statement
Thank you for completing your survey! The purpose of this research was to determine
whether there was a correlation between the level of depression a person has and the amount of
exercise they do. Our hypothesis is that we will find a negative correlation between these two
variables, such that more exercise is associated with lower levels of depression, as many studies
have shown exercise to be a potential treatment for depression. As a reminder, we will keep your
answers confidential. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the
following email addresses:
Priscilla Ng: ngpc@uci.edu
Melanie Chen: chenme1@uci.edu
Vanessa Chi: chiv@uci.edu
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Since the proposal, everyone in your group should have contributed to revisions to the research
plan (if necessary), data collection, and data entry. Group members were expected to make
themselves available to meet (either in person or over the phone) and should have responded to
your requests to communicate in a timely manner. Furthermore, it was expected that any
deadlines created by the group would have been honored by all group members.
1. Please rate Group Member #1s contribution on a scale of 0 to 3, where 0 indicates that this
group member did not contribute at all and 3 indicates that this group member contributed at
least their fair share.
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2. Please rate Group Member #2s contribution on a scale of 0 to 3, where 0 indicates that this
group member did not contribute at all and 3 indicates that this group member contributed at
least their fair share.
2- Up to the day before the research proposal was due, she was still confused as to what exactly
we were studying and hypothesizing, and failed to comprehend the variables we were
operationalizing or how to do the Running head. She had a lot of questions since she didnt
attend a few classes. Also, she left half an hour early during the data extravaganza and had us
collect the rest of the data. However, she did communicate well with the group and voiced out
some of her opinions on the study.
Title Page
1 point
Abstract
4 points
3 points
3 points
3 points
Methods: Participants
3 points
Methods: Design
3 points
Methods: Measures/Materials
3 points
Methods: Procedure
3 points
2 points
2 points
1 point
2 points
Results: Tables/figures/graphs
2 points
2 points
1 point
Discussion: Limitations
2 points
3 points
References
4 points
APA style
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Proofreading/grammar/clarity
3 points
1 point
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Late? 5 points will be deducted for every day that this proposal
is late (starting at 3:00pm on the day that it is due)
0
55 points
TOTAL SCORE