Physical activity moderates the association between negative life events and depression symptom in newlyweds: a large multicenter cross-sectional study

Background Previous studies have showed that negative life events can increase the risk of depression, but little research have focused on how to improve this risk, especially for the newlyweds population——be about to breed next generation. We aim to investigate whether physical activity (PA) moderates the association between negative life events and depression symptom in a large sample of newlyweds. Methods This study consisted of 28898 newlywed women and 30431 newlywed men collected from April 2019 to June 2021 in Anhui Province of China. International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and Patient Health Questionnaire were used to assess participants' PA levels in the past week and depression state in the past two weeks, respectively. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied to examine the associations of negative life events over the past year and depression symptom. Two-factor analysis of variance was used to analysis the interaction of stressful life events and physical activity on depression scores. Results Among the 28898 newlywed women, the prevalence of depression symptom and negative life events were 27.4% and 71.4%, respectively. Women experienced negative life events (odds ratio[OR]= 2.81, 95% CI 2.63–3.01) were related with higher risk of depression symptoms. Moderate or high physical activity level was associated with lower odds of depression symptom for women with negative life events. Besides, physical activity moderates the association between negative life events and depression scores (P for interaction < 0.05). Similar results were found in newlywed men. Conclusions The findings indicate that high or moderate physical activity levels can weaken the association between negative life events and depression symptom. Improving the level of physical activitycould be a strategy by which to prevent depression symptom for the newlyweds with negative life events.