Open Access

ARTICLE

Is Meeting 24-Hour Movement Guidelines Associated with Emotion Regulation among Children and Adolescents?

Shanshan Xu¹, Liang Hu^1,2,*

1 Department of Sports Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
2 Lab for Digital Sports and Health, College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

* Corresponding Author: Liang Hu. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025, 27(6), 771-785. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.064984

Received 28 February 2025; Accepted 13 May 2025; Issue published 30 June 2025

Abstract

Background: The Canadian 24-h movement guidelines (24-HMG) emphasize the holistic consideration of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and sleep in shaping health outcomes. This study aimed to examine the associations between meeting 24-HMG and emotion regulation-related indicators among children and adolescents. Methods: A total of 534 Chinese children and adolescents aged 12.94 ± 1.10 years (49.81% males) participated in this study and completed self-report measures assessing 24-h movement behaviors, emotion regulation strategies, emotion regulation flexibility, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy. Results: Only 7.12% of the participants adhered to two or all three guidelines. The number of guidelines met was positively associated with the use of emotion regulation strategies, emotion regulation flexibility, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy. Compared with meeting none of the guidelines, participants who met one or more guidelines reported significantly better performance in these outcomes. Conclusion: Meeting 24-HMG was associated with superior emotion regulation in children and adolescents. The importance of engaging in regular PA, limiting recreational screen time, and getting enough sleep should be highlighted for fostering emotion regulation in this demographic.

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Keywords

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