Effects of shift-and-persist on depressive symptoms among adolescents in rural China: Physical exercise as a mediator

We examined the effect of the shift-and-persist strategy on the depressive symptoms of adolescents in rural areas in China and the mechanism of physical exercise as a mediator of this relationship. We conducted a survey with 533 rural adolescents in China, who completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Shift-and-Persist Questionnaire, and the Physical Exercise Attitude Scale. The results showed that there were significant differences in depressive symptoms by gender, subjective family social class, and perception of parental marital quality. Further, shift-and-persist and physical exercise were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms, and shift-and-persist was positively correlated with physical exercise. In addition, shift-and-persist negatively predicted adolescent depressive symptoms and a partial mediating role of physical exercise between these variables was established. The study findings suggest that improving adolescents' ability to shift and persist and increasing their physical exercise will reduce their depressive symptoms.