Differences in the Association between Physical Activity and People's Resilience and Emotions during Two Consecutive...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Governments imposed restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting public health and individual physical activity levels.
• Understanding the psychological effects of these restrictions, particularly on physical activity, is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between changes in physical activity and psychological states (resilience, emotions, depression) during two COVID-19 lockdowns in Israel.
• To assess how physical activity modifications during lockdowns influenced mental well-being.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered twice to 135 participants during two consecutive lockdowns in Israel.
• Data collected included self-reported physical activity levels, resilience, emotions (positive and negative), and depression scores.

Main Results:

• Resilience and positive emotions were higher, while negative emotions and depression were lower during the second lockdown compared to the first.
• Despite reduced overall physical activity in the second lockdown, individuals reporting increased activity experienced a significant decrease in negative emotions.
• Conversely, those reporting reduced physical activity showed an increase in negative emotions.

Conclusions:

• The Israeli population demonstrated higher resilience, potentially due to prior crisis experience.
• Increased physical activity during lockdowns was associated with enhanced resilience, improved emotional states, and reduced depression.
• Physical activity is a significant factor in mitigating the psychological impact of extreme public health measures like lockdowns.