The mediating roles of sleep quality and sedentary behavior between physical fitness and depression among female college freshmen.

This study aimed to investigate interactions among physical fitness, sleep quality, sedentary behavior, and depression among female college freshmen. Participants: A cohort of 1,514 Chinese female college freshmen (Mage = 18.8 ± .63) were recruited from four universities. Methods: Participants completed a survey assessing depression, sleep quality (sleep duration and sleep onset latency), and sedentary behavior, and performed physical fitness measurements. Results: Physical fitness indexes were associated with sleep quality and sedentary behavior (ps < .05) but not with depression. Depression was positively associated with sedentary behavior and sleep onset latency, but negatively associated with sleep duration (ps < .01). The model tests revealed that sleep quality (β = -.57, p < .01) and sedentary behavior (β = .14, p < .01) served as mediators between physical fitness and depression, respectively. Conclusions: Increasing sleep quality and minimizing sedentary behavior may build resilience to depression among Chinese female college freshmen.