High physical activity is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among individuals aged 15 years and older in South Africa

South African Journal of Psychiatry

 
 
Field Value
 
Title High physical activity is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among individuals aged 15 years and older in South Africa
 
Creator Peltzer, Karl Pengpid, Supa
 
Subject Public health physical activity; post-traumatic stress symptoms; adolescents; adults; cross-sectional population survey; South Africa
Description Background: Some research seems to suggest that physical activity (PA) was beneficial for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Aim: This study examined the association between levels of PA and PTSD among individuals 15 years and above in South Africa.Setting: Community-based survey sample representative of the national population in South Africa.Methods: In all, 15 201 individuals (mean age 36.9 years) responded to the cross-sectional South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1) in 2012.Results: One in five (20.1%) of participants reported exposure to at least one traumatic event in a lifetime, and 2.1% were classified as having a PTSD, 7.9% fulfilled PTSD re-experiencing criteria, 3.0% PTSD avoidance criteria and 4.3% PTSD hyperarousal criteria. Almost half (48.1%) of respondents had low PA, 17.4% moderate PA and 34.5% high PA. In logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, population group, employment status, residence status, number of trauma types, problem drinking, current tobacco use, sleep problems and depressive symptoms, high PA was associated with PTSD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.75, confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–2.75), PTSD re-experiencing symptom criteria (OR = 1.43, CI = 1.09–1.86) and PTSD avoidance symptom criteria (OR = 1.74, CI = 1.18–2.59), but high PA was not associated with PTSD hyperarousal symptom criteria. In generalised structural equation modelling, total trauma events had a positive direct and indirect effect on PTSD mediated by high PA, and high PA had a positive indirect effect on PTSD, mediated by psychological distress and problem drinking.Conclusion: After controlling for relevant covariates, high PA was associated with increased PTSD symptomatology.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2019-10-21
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — cross-sectional survey
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v25i0.1329
 
Source South African Journal of Psychiatry; Vol 25 (2019); 6 pages 2078-6786 1608-9685
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1329/1515 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1329/1514 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1329/1516 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1329/1513
 
Coverage South Africa 2012 adults
Rights Copyright (c) 2019 Karl Peltzer, Supa Pengpid https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT