Original ArticleModerate-to-vigorous physical activity and behavioral outcomes in adolescents with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder: The role of sleep
Section snippets
Data source and participants
Ethical approval of the present research was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, Nanyang Technological University (no. IRB-2019-06-043). Although newer National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) datasets are available, survey questions were changed after the 2011–2012 dataset, and variables of interest for the present study were not available (e.g., MVPA). Thus, the 2011–2012 NSCH dataset was used in the present study. The 2011–2012 NSCH includes a nationally representative,
Results
Table 2 presents the results of the descriptive analysis and zero-order correlations. Age and gender were associated with some of the major study variables and they were therefore entered as covariates in the path analysis. MVPA was weakly and positively related to both sleep (r = 0.23, p < 0.001) and school engagement (r = 0.19, p = 0.002). Sleep had a weak and negative association with bullying (r = −0.27, p < 0.001) and showed a weak positive relationship with school engagement (r = 0.29,
Discussion
The aim of the present research was to examine the relationships between MVPA, sleep, and behavioral outcomes (i.e., bullying and school engagement) among adolescents with ADHD. Overall, the data showed good fit to the hypothesized model, and supported all the hypotheses. Specifically, our results showed that MVPA was positively related to sleep (β = 0.17). This result is consistent with H1 and a recent meta-analysis, in which regular physical activity participation was found to bring small to
Conclusions
In conclusion, MVPA has a positive association with sleep, which is negatively associated with bullying and positively related to school engagement among adolescents with ADHD. Further, sleep partially explains the relationship between MVPA and the two behavioral outcomes. While the findings are promising in regard to the potential positive relationship that MVPA and sleep may have for youth with ADHD, it is also known that those with ADHD tend not to engage in recommended amounts of MVPA or
Funding
This research was funded by the Key Project of the Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology, grant number 18080503300.
Declaration of competing interest
None declared.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health for making the 2011–2012 NSCH data available for this research.
References (31)
- et al.
Efficacy of methylphenidate, psychosocial treatments and their combination in school-aged children with ADHD: a meta-analysis
Clin Psychol Rev
(2008) - et al.
Exercise improves behavioral, neurocognitive, and scholastic performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
J Pediatr
(2013) - et al.
Health behaviors and obesity among US children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by gender and medication use
Prev Med
(2011) - et al.
High exercise levels are related to favorable sleep patterns and psychological functioning in adolescents: a comparison of athletes and controls
J Adolesc Health
(2010) - et al.
Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Pediatrics
(2015) - et al.
The descriptive epidemiology of DSM-IV adult ADHD in the world health organization world mental health surveys
Atten DeficHyperactDisord
(2017) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(2013)- et al.
Validity of DSM-IV attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom dimensions and subtypes
J Abnorm Psychol
(2012) - et al.
Bullying, self-control, and ADHD
J Interpers Violence
(2003) - et al.
Relationship between sleep problems and quality of life in children with ADHD
J Atten Disord
(2013)