Extraversion development in childhood, adolescence and adulthood: Testing the role of sport participation in three nationally-representative samples

Running, walking, and cross-country skiing: how to shape adolescents' personalities through physical activity?

Adolescence is crucial for personality development, and sports play a significant role. This study investigates the impact of various sports on the personality traits of junior high and high school students in Shandong Province, focusing on neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Utilizing data from the "Database of Youth Health," we employed Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) and Generalized Structural Equation Modeling (GSEM) to analyze the effects of physical activity on personality development. Findings reveal that walking significantly enhances openness and decreased neuroticism, while jogging/running substantially improves extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Cross-country skiing, however, negatively impacts all assessed personality traits. In addition, the importance of gender differences in the relationship between physical activity and personality development was revealed. The results offer insights for promoting adolescent personality development through targeted sports activities.

Emotional Intelligence, Physical Activity Practice and Mediterranean Diet Adherence-An Explanatory Model in Elementary Education School Students

Currently, there is a global concern with regard to the lifestyles of young people. This study aims to study the association between Mediterranean diet adherence, emotional intelligence and physical activity practice in teenagers in the last cycle of elementary education. In turn, this objective is divided into (a) developing an explanatory model of the practice of physical activity, Mediterranean diet adherence and emotional intelligence; and (b) developing a multi-group model according to the gender of the participants. A descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted in a sample of 293 elementary school students (M = 11.45; S.D = 0.31). The instruments used were an ad hoc socio-demographic questionnaire, the Trait Meta Mood Scale-24, the KIDMED questionnaire and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children. The results show that males show a positive relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and emotional intelligence and between emotional intelligence and physical activity. In contrast, in the case of females, a negative relationship was observed between emotional intelligence and physical activity. In conclusion, it can be seen that gender plays a fundamental role in adolescence, being a key factor influencing an active and healthy lifestyle.

Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Body Mass Index and Emotional Intelligence in Primary Education Students-An Explanatory Model as a Function of Weekly Physical Activity

Adolescence is a key developmental period from a health, physical and psychological perspective. In view of this, the present research aimed to establish the relationship between emotional intelligence, Mediterranean diet adherence, BMI and age. In order to address this aim, (a) an explanatory model is developed of emotional intelligence and its relationship with Mediterranean diet adherence, BMI and age, and (b) the proposed structural model is examined via multi-group analysis as a function of whether students engage in more than three hours of physical activity a week. To this end, a quantitative, non-experimental (ex post facto), comparative and cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 567 students (11.10 ± 1.24). The instruments used were an ad hoc questionnaire, the KIDMED questionnaire and the TMMS-24. Outcomes reveal that participants who engage in more than three hours of physical activity a week score more highly for emotional intelligence than those who do not meet this criterion. Furthermore, it was also observed that, whilst the majority of the sample was physically active, improvement was required with regards to Mediterranean diet adherence.