Investigating Lifestyle Risk and Protective Factors for Depression in Young Adults: Insights From a Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a very prevalent mental disorder worldwide. Beyond MDD's individual impact, it also constitutes a real burden for society, as it affects all domains of everyday life. Lifestyle factors may play an important role in the prevention, development, progression, and treatment of MDD. Consequently, our research aimed to assess the relationships between depressive symptoms and lifestyle to identify which lifestyle characteristics constitute risk or protective factors against depression. Furthermore, since adults aged between 18 and 29 years are at most risk of developing depressive symptoms, we focused on this population.

Methods: Two hundred and ten young adults, aged 18 to 29 years, completed online questionnaires assessing lifestyle behaviors-including physical activity, sleep quality, dietary habits, connectedness to nature, mindfulness, and resilience-and depressive symptoms.

Results: Regular physical activity, balanced diet, good sleep quality, mindfulness, and resilience to stress were all correlated with lower levels of depression. The study did not reveal a significant relationship between connectedness to nature and depression in this sample.

Conclusion: These results align with previous research, highlighting that physical activity, diet, sleep quality, mindfulness, and stress resilience are crucial for managing depression; connectedness to nature requires further study.