Comparing Acute Bouts Of Exercise On Mood And Affect In Females With Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

Negative mood states experienced during the withdrawal stage of substance dependence have been associated with relapse in persons suffering from substance use disorder (SUD). Exercise is gaining attention as an adjunct therapy for SUD due to its ability to alleviate negative mood states experienced during withdrawal. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of an acute bout of aerobic and resistance exercise versus control on total mood disturbance (TMD), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) in females enrolled for SUD treatment at inpatient facilities. METHODS: Females (n = 11; 34 + 8 yrs.) were randomly assigned to each condition in counterbalanced fashion. Aerobic exercise (AE) consisted of 20 minutes of moderate intensity (40-60% HRR) treadmill walking, and resistance exercise (RE) consisted of 20 minutes of standardized circuit weight training (8 exercises, 1:1 work to rest ratio). Both exercise interventions included a 5-min warm up and 5-min cool down. C consisted of 30 min quiet reading. The Abbreviated Profile of Mood States (APOMS) was used to assess TMD and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) was used to assess PA and NA pre- and post-treatment. RESULTS: 2 x 3 repeated measures ANOVA indicated TMD was significantly reduced by AE (pre- to post-treatment mean difference (MD) + standard error (SE) 16.55 + 4.76, p = 0.002) and RE (21.55 + 5.59, p = 0.001) but not C (3.00 + 2.9, p = 0.261), with no significant difference between AE and RE. PA was significantly increased by AE (pre- to post-treatment MD + SE 10.36 + 2.31, p = 0.001) and RE (9.82 + 1.74, p = 0.001) but not C (0.27 + 1.70, p > 0.05), with no significant difference between AE and RE. Friedman’s test with Bonferonni-adjusted Wilcoxon signed rank post hoc tests revealed NA was significantly reduced by AE (mean rank difference = 2.864, p = 0.005) and RE (mean rank difference = 2.636, p = 0.014) but not C (mean rank difference 0.955, p = 1.0). CONCLUSION: Acute equivalent-duration bouts of aerobic and resistance exercise are equally effective for acute mood regulation and superior to a physically inactive control in females undergoing inpatient SUD treatment.