Testing the role of physical activity in promoting resilience against stress-related psychopathology among young people

Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety affect one in eight children in the UK. Physical activity is associated with better mental wellbeing. However, it is not known whether engagement in regular physical activity can prevent the emergence of mental health problems in children, or whether this relationship is better explained by other genetic and/or environmental factors. I will apply cutting-edge statistical methods to elucidate what effect physical activity can have on preventing the development of mental health difficulties in young people, and disentangle its effects from other risk and protective factors. To do this, I will use data from large studies of children from the UK, Netherlands, Norway, and Finland. By comparing results across different studies and statistical ways of analysing the information, I will draw more confident conclusions regarding whether interventions targeting physical activity could help to reduce the burden of mental health problems among children.