Exercise intervention and improvement of negative emotions in children: a meta-analysis
- Forfatter(e)
- Li, J. Jiang, X. Huang, Z. Shao, T.
- År
- 2023
- Tidsskrift
- Bmc Pediatrics
- Sider
- 411
- Kategori(er)
- Depresjon og nedstemthet (inkl. både vansker og lidelse) Angst og engstelighet (inkl. både vansker og lidelse)
- Tiltakstype(r)
- Fysisk aktivitet
- Abstract
BACKGROUND: Anxiety, depression, and stress are the most common mental health problems in childhood. Exercise interventions in childhood help to promote mental health.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between exercise interventions and improvement of negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and stress in children (5-12 years).
METHODS: Articles were searched in five electronic databases from their inception to January 2023. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16.0. RESULTS: Twenty-three intervention studies included 6830 children. 1) The exercise intervention group was significantly better than the control group in improving negative emotions (Standard Mean Difference SMD=-0.25, 95% Confidence Intervals CI: -0.34 to -0.15, P < 0.01). Exercise intervention improved different kinds of negative emotions: anxiety (SMD=-0.19, 95% CI: -0.33 to -0.06, P < 0.01), depression (SMD=-0.22, 95% CI: -0.43 to -0.01, P < 0.01), and stress (SMD=-0.33, 95% CI: -0.53 to -0.14, P < 0.01); it was most effective at relieving problematic stress. Exercise interventions lasting 20-45 min were most effective in improving children's negative emotions (SMD=-0.38, 95% CI: -0.56 to -0.20, P < 0.01). An exercise intervention period of 10 weeks was more effective in improving children's negative mood (SMD=-0.26, 95% CI: -0.34 to -0.17, P = 0.274).
CONCLUSION: Exercise interventions may improve negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and stress in children. These findings may have clinical implications for children with negative affect. However, these studies showed a large heterogeneity, and the results should be interpreted with caution. Future studies should report the variability of exercise interventions by gender, age group, and type, intensity, and place of exercise.