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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Addictive Behaviors
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1427514

How depression and ADHD relate to exercise addiction: A crosssectional study among frequent exercisers

Provisionally accepted
Lavinia Baltes-Flueckiger Lavinia Baltes-Flueckiger 1Aline Wagner Aline Wagner 2Isabel Sattler Isabel Sattler 2Maximilian Meyer Maximilian Meyer 3Amos Tschopp Amos Tschopp 2*Marc Walter Marc Walter 1Flora Colledge Flora Colledge 4*
  • 1 Psychiatric Services Aargau, Windisch, Switzerland
  • 2 University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • 3 University Psychiatric Clinic Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • 4 University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: To date, there are no official diagnostic criteria for the frequently reported phenomenon of exercise addiction. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate how mental disorders, specifically depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are related to exercise addiction (EA). Methods: A total of 173 participants aged between 18 and 70 years, who reported exercising more than 10 hours a week and continued to exercise despite injury or illness, answered questionnaires including the Exercise Dependence Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Homburger ADHD scale for adults. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed adjusting for relevant confounders (age, gender) and stepwise regression was used to identify which of the two mental disorders is the more influential predictor of EA. Results: Pearson correlation analysis showed that depressive symptoms (r (171) = .422, p < .00) and ADHD symptoms (r (171) = .308, p < .001) were positively correlated with EA symptoms. The relation between depressive symptoms and EA remained after adjusting for confounders in the regression model (B = 20.531; t(170) = 5.950; 95% CI [13.719, 27.343]; p < .001). Similarly, the positive link between ADHD symptoms and EA persisted after controlling for confounders (B = 15.507; t(170) = 3.771; 95% CI [7.389, 23.625]; p < .001). Additionally, a stepwise regression model identified that depressive symptoms are a stronger predictor for EA than ADHD symptoms. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms seem to be a stronger predictor for EA compared to ADHD symptoms in frequent exercisers. Although individuals with ADHD may exercise extensively, they might be less at risk for EA than individuals with depression. These results contribute to the complex characterization of the psychiatric profile of individuals with exercise addiction, and underline the need for further research elucidating the interplay between mental disorders and EA.

    Keywords: exercise addiction, Depression, ADHD, hours of exercise, Cross-sectional

    Received: 03 May 2024; Accepted: 09 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Baltes-Flueckiger, Wagner, Sattler, Meyer, Tschopp, Walter and Colledge. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Amos Tschopp, University of Basel, Basel, 4001, Switzerland
    Flora Colledge, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, 6002, Switzerland

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