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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Relationship of change in depression to body image, locus of control, and amount of exercise in a pretest-posttest study of college freshmen women and men

Daniel D. Adame, PhD, CHES1, Steven P. Cole, PhD2, Thomas C. Johnson, EdD3, and Sally A. Radell, MFA3. (1) Emory University, Woodruff PE Center 314-F, Atlanta, GA 30322, 404-727-4092, phyedda@emory.edu, (2) Research Design Associates, 1315 Baptist Church Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, (3) Department of Health, Physical Education and Dance, Emory University, Woodruff P.E. Center 314-I, Atlanta, GA 30322

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of change in depression to body image, locus of control (LOC), and amount of exercise during college students' first semester. During the 1st and 14th weeks of a fall semester personal health course, 247 freshmen (140 women, 107 men) completed the Adame, Cole, Johnson, and Matthiasson Amount of Exercise Scale, Cash Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale and Rimon's Brief Depression Scale. There was a significant increase in mean depression scores for women. Students were categorized into two groups: 1) increasing in depression; 2) not changing or decreasing in depression. Depression scores increased for the 46% of the women and 40% of the men. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess change in body image, LOC, and amount of exercise as a function of depression group. For men who increased in depression over the course of the semester, they felt less healthy, felt less satisfaction with most areas of their body, had an increase in overweight preoccupation, and demonstrated a greater increase in LOC externality. At the beginning of the semester, the men who became more depressed were more internal in LOC. At the end of the semester, women who had become more depressed felt physically unfit and were less preoccupied with their weight. At the end of the semester, men who had become more depressed felt their bodies were in poor health. This study was undertaken to further understand college students' vulnerability to depression.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the poster session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to