Psychophysiological contributions of Resistance Training (RT) for the treatment of anxiety disorders in young adults

Abstract

Physical exercise can represent one of the very accessible, beneficial, and side-effect-free treatment alternatives for individuals with anxiety disorders. Among the exercise models capable of producing physiological and psychological benefits, Resistance Training (RT) stands out. Thus, the aim of this research was to describe the psychophysiological contributions of Resistance Training (RT) to the treatment of anxiety disorders in young adults. To achieve this, a qualitative literature review was conducted through searches of scientific articles on the topic published in the following databases: National Center of Medicine; (PUBMED/MEDLINE); SCOPUS; Periódicos CAPES; Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS); Psicologia Brasil (BVS); Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO); and Science Direct, considering studies published in the last 5 years. In this regard, the database search was conducted by combining two or more boolean operators applied as follows: (resistance training; OR acute resistance training; OR chronic resistance training; OR psychophysiological disorders; OR anxiety; OR anxiety disorders; AND young adults with anxiety disorders). As a result, five scientific articles were selected, meeting the inclusion criteria. Analyzing these scientific publications and establishing correlations and common results among them, it is concluded that RT is a highly effective therapeutic intervention in reducing anxiety disorder symptoms. It can be utilized as an alternative therapeutic strategy with notable outcomes for symptom reduction, providing immediate, medium-term, and long-term responses.