Relationships between physical activity, sleep, and screen time with academic performance and psychological functioning among US children and adolescents with depression

Objective: This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between adherence to 24-HMB guidelines (including physical activity [PA], screen time [ST], and sleep) with academic performance and psychological functioning among children and adolescents with depression. Methods: This study consists of 2165 participants aged 6–17 years with depression. Independent variables were components of 24-HMB guideline adherence, while outcomes of interest were academic performance (i.e., caring about school performance and completion of required homework) and psychological functioning (i.e., resilience and self-regulation). Logistic regression analysis was conducted while adjusting for confounding variables. Results: Only 1.03 % of the participants adhered to PA + ST + Sleep guidelines. Compared to non-adherence, adherence to PA + ST guidelines was significantly linked to a greater likelihood of caring about school performance (OR = 2.17), while ST + Sleep guidelines adherence was significantly linked to a greater likelihood of caring about school performance (OR = 2.02), completing homework (OR = 2.91), resilience (OR = 2.51), and self-regulation (OR = 2.51). Furthermore, adherence to PA + ST + Sleep guidelines was significantly linked to a higher likelihood of caring about school performance (OR = 5.01), resilience (OR = 2.49), and self-regulation (OR = 2.88) among these participants with depression. Conclusion: Adhering to 24-HMB guidelines is positively linked to academic performance and psychological functioning among children and adolescents with depression. Thus, establishing healthy lifestyle behaviors should be promoted in school settings.