Physical activity, sadness, and suicidality in bullied US adolescents.

The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between physical activity (PA), sadness, and suicidality in bullied US adolescents. We hypothesized that physically active students would be less likely to feel sad or report suicidal ideation or attempts, including bullied students. Overall, 30.0% of students reported sadness for ≥2 weeks, 22.2% reported suicidal ideation, and 8.2% reported suicide attempt in the previous 12 months. Bullied students were twice as likely to report feeling sad and three times as likely to report suicidal ideation or attempt. Students who reported exercising 4-5 days/week had lower adjusted odds of sadness, suicidal ideation, or suicide attempts than students who exercised 0-1 days/week (p≤.0001). After stratifying by bullying, similar but attenuated associations were observed. Overall, exercise for 4 or more days per week was associated with an approximate 23% reduction in suicidal ideation and attempt in bullied students. PA is inversely related to sadness and suicidality in adolescents, highlighting the relationship between PA and mental health in children, and potentially implicating PA as a salient option in the response to bullying in schools.