Aim

Providing effective support for students with mental health concerns is a priority on post-secondary campuses. Recreational programming including physical activity is an evidence-informed approach that can be used to support mental health and well-being. Yet, limited research has examined effective and acceptable strategies for using campus-based physical activity programs to support the mental health of post-secondary students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the current study addressed the acceptability and effectiveness of a physical activity program for student mental health.

Methods

In collaboration with on-campus mental health services, a 6-week one-on-one and individualized physical activity program tailored towards students seeking mental health support was implemented. A pretest-posttest design was used to test the effectiveness of the program and participants (N = 68; M_age = 22.96 years, SD = 3.42; 82% female) completed self-report questionnaires to assess changes in symptoms of psychological distress, depression, and anxiety. Semi-structured interviews (N = 11) with program participants were conducted to explore the acceptability of the program and were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

Paired samples t-tests demonstrated a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and psychological distress pre-post program (ps < .05). The generated themes suggested that the program is an acceptable and effective holistic approach for improving mental health among students.

Conclusions

The results provide implications for implementing on-campus physical activity programs as a mental health and well-being intervention. Implications for further understanding principle program design and delivery strategies are discussed.

中文翻译：

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关于大专学生心理健康的校园体育锻炼计划：检查有效性和可接受性

目的

大专校园优先考虑为有精神健康问题的学生提供有效支持。包括身体活动在内的娱乐性编程是一种有据可依的方法，可用于支持心理健康和福祉。然而，有限的研究已经检验了使用基于校园的体育锻炼计划来支持大专生心理健康的有效且可接受的策略。本研究采用混合方法，研究了体育锻炼计划对学生心理健康的可接受性和有效性。

方法

与校园内心理健康服务合作，针对寻求心理健康支持的学生量身定制了为期6周的一对一且个性化的体育锻炼计划。前测后测设计用于测试该计划的有效性，参与者（N  = 68；M_年龄 = 22.96岁，SD  = 3.42； 82％女性）完成了自我报告问卷，以评估心理困扰，抑郁症状的变化和焦虑。 对计划参与者进行了半结构化访谈（N = 11），以探讨该计划的可接受性，并使用主题分析进行了分析。

结果

配对样本t检验显示焦虑症状，抑郁症状和事前心理困扰程序明显减少（ps  <.05）。产生的主题表明，该计划是改善学生心理健康的可接受且有效的整体方法。

结论

结果为实施校内体育锻炼计划提供了启示，将其作为一种心理健康和福祉干预措施。讨论了进一步理解原理程序设计和交付策略的含义。