How Does Physical Activity Impact Mental Health and ADHD Symptoms in Youth Over Time?

What you need to know

• Most children and adolescents showed low levels of mental health difficulties and ADHD symptoms over the 10-year study period
• Physical activity levels tended to fluctuate over time rather than staying consistently high
• No significant relationship was found between physical activity patterns and mental health/ADHD trajectories over the long term

Understanding Youth Mental Health Patterns

Think about how a child’s emotional wellbeing can change as they grow up - some kids maintain steady mental health, while others experience more ups and downs. Similarly, how active children are physically can vary greatly over time. While previous research suggests that regular exercise may help improve mental health in the short term, we’ve had less insight into how physical activity patterns relate to mental health over many years during childhood and adolescence.

The Research Approach

This study followed over 17,000 German children and adolescents for 10 years, tracking their physical activity levels, general mental health, and ADHD symptoms through parent reports. The researchers identified different patterns or “trajectories” of how these factors changed over time and looked for relationships between them.

Key Findings on Mental Health Patterns

The study found four main patterns of mental health development for both boys and girls:

• About two-thirds showed consistently low difficulties
• Around 25% started with medium difficulties that decreased over time
• About 4% began with high difficulties that improved
• A small group (roughly 3%) showed increasing difficulties over time

For ADHD symptoms specifically:

• Most children (51% of boys and 62% of girls) maintained low symptom levels
• A significant portion showed decreasing symptoms over time
• A small percentage showed increasing symptoms

Physical Activity Trajectories

Rather than finding groups who maintained consistently high activity levels throughout the study period, the researchers observed that physical activity tended to fluctuate. The most common pattern was children increasing their activity initially but then becoming less active later in adolescence. This matches what many parents observe - kids often become less physically active as they enter their teenage years.

What This Means for You

While short-term studies suggest physical activity can benefit mental health, this research indicates that maintaining consistently high activity levels over many years is challenging for most young people. However, this doesn’t mean exercise isn’t beneficial - rather, it suggests that:

• Regular physical activity may need to be actively encouraged and supported throughout childhood and adolescence
• Different strategies may be needed to keep teens engaged in physical activity as their interests change
• Even if activity levels fluctuate, any amount of exercise can still provide benefits
• Multiple approaches beyond just physical activity are likely needed to support youth mental health long-term

Conclusions

• Most young people show positive mental health trajectories over time, with relatively low levels of difficulties
• Physical activity levels naturally tend to fluctuate during childhood and adolescence rather than staying consistently high
• While exercise has known short-term mental health benefits, this study suggests the relationship is complex over longer periods
• Supporting youth mental health likely requires a comprehensive approach beyond just promoting physical activity