Relationship between physical activity and individual mental health after traumatic events: a systematic review

Stressful life events are events that do not fulfil the A criterion of PTSD in the DSM-5(TR) but are perceived as negative by the person. There is an ongoing debate about the usefulness of the A criterion as a gate criterion for PTSD, and especially regarding which events qualify as traumatic or stressful life events. This debate is particularly important for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF), as they seem to be more likely to experience traumatic and stressful life events than their peers without ID-BIF and appear to be more susceptible to the disruptive effects of these events. As a result, people with ID-BIF are more likely to develop mental health and behavioural problems. There is insufficient knowledge about how the relationship between stressful life events and PTSD symptoms should be interpreted, how traumatic and stressful life events are defined and distinguished in people with ID, and whether the A criterion should be broadened for individuals with ID-BIF. The aim of this scoping review was to understand stressful life events and their relationship with PTSD symptoms, other mental health and/or behavioural problems in individuals with ID-BIF. The scoping review was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Thirty-eight studies were included. Five studies focused on stressful life events and PTSD symptoms. The other studies examined associations between stressful life events and other mental health and/or behavioural problems. Most of the studies did not clearly differentiate between stressful and traumatic events according to the A criterion of PTSD in the DSM-IV (TR) or DSM-5(TR). Of the six studies in which stressful life events were specified and could be distinguished from traumatic events, one found a positive association between PTSD symptoms and stressful life events and five showed weak to strong positive associations with other mental health and/or behavioural problems. PTSD symptoms following stressful life events in individuals with ID-BIF are underrepresented in the literature. The lack of a clear definition of stressful life events leads to a gap in the knowledge on whether and how stressful life events may lead to PTSD symptoms, other mental health and/or behavioural problems in individuals with ID-BIF. Therefore, no general conclusions or recommendations can be made regarding the appropriateness of the PTSD A criterion for individuals with ID-BIF. Further research is needed to establish the role of stressful life events in relation to PTSD symptoms and to inform the assessment and effective treatment in people with ID-BIF, as expert clinical experience studies suggest that broadening the PTSD A criterion should be considered for people with ID-BIF.

To investigate the association between diabetes symptoms and physical activity (PA) levels among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Data for this study were obtained from 2018 Charles data. Z test, logistic regression analysis, and linear hierarchical regression analysis were performed in 5352 individuals aged ≥50 years with complete information. In terms of diabetes, 6.8% of the middle-aged and elderly people with diabetes were detected, and 93.2% of the middle-aged and elderly people without diabetes symptoms. The proportion of middle-aged and elderly people with high PA levels was 50.5%, and the proportion of middle-aged and elderly people with low PA was 49.5%. There was a significant positive correlation between low PA and diabetes (P < .05). After adjusting demographic characteristics (gender, registered permanent residence type, education level, age, widowhood) and health status characteristics (poor mood, asthma, hyperlipidemia, disability, memory disease, self-assessment of health status, hypertension, smoking, stroke, depression), there was still a statistical significance between PA level and diabetes (P < .05). The risk of diabetes of middle-aged and elderly people in China increases with age, while the risk of diabetes of middle-aged and elderly people with low level of PA is higher. The risk of diabetes is high among middle-aged and elderly people who are old, have poor self-evaluation health, suffer from hyperlipidemia, memory disease, and asthma. The middle-aged and old people should increase their PA levels to prevent and improve diabetes.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between physical activity (PA) levels and mental health in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: Three hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area were invited to recruit patients with SCI (n = 103). PA levels were measured by the Leisure Score Index of the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used to assess mental health. Results: Compared to the least physically active participants (1st tertile, 44.09 ± 52.74 min/week), the most physically active participants (3rd tertile, 670.86 ± 354.97 min/week) scored significantly lower on PHQ-9 (17.03 ± 5.70 vs. 12.49 ± 4.01, p < 0.001), GAD-7 (13.24 ± 4.78 vs. 9.86 ± 3.15, p < 0.001), while significantly higher MSPSS (51.24 ± 10.17 vs. 61.37 ± 11.90, p < 0.001) after the results were adjusted for age, gender, American Spinal Cord Injury Association impairment scale, and impaired spinal cord levels. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the PA was a significant predictor of depression (β = −1.50, p = 0.01), anxiety (β = −1.12, p = 0.02), and social support (β = 4.04, p = 0.01). Conclusion: Higher PA participation was associated with lower depression, anxiety, and higher social support scores.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment has high rates of relapse. Relapse likelihood is predicted by poor mental health and high alcohol craving. Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (SED) may be modifiable risk factors of these relapse predictors. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between MVPA and SED with mental health (depression, anxiety and stress) and craving (self-reported and cue-induced) in individuals with AUD.Cross-sectional data were collected from individuals upon entering AUD treatment (n = 670) in the US. Participants reported demographics, depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), anxiety (Penn State Worry Questionnaire), stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10), MVPA and SED (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-SF). Multiple linear regressions were conducted with MVPA and SED predicting depression, anxiety, and stress, with trend analyses, covarying for demographics and level of care.As SED decreases and MVPA increases, depression (−6.7 points, p < 0.0001), anxiety (−3.5 points, p = 0.02), and stress scores (−3.1 points, p < 0.001) are reduced. Neither MVPA nor SED were significant predictors of self-reported craving nor cue-induced craving.High SED and, especially, low MVPA may be behavioral risk factors associated with poor mental health during treatment admission in AUD. Improving engagement with these activity-related behaviors during treatment may have the potential to lead to lower relapse rates.

Presumed pathways from environments to cardiometabolic risk largely implicate health behaviour although mental health may play a role. Few studies assess relationships between these factors. This study estimated associations between area socioeconomic status (SES), mental health, diet, physical activity, and 10-year change in glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), comparing two proposed path structures: 1) mental health and behaviour functioning as parallel mediators between area SES and HbA1c; and 2) a sequential structure where mental health influences behaviour and consequently HbA1c. Three waves (10 years) of population-based biomedical cohort data were spatially linked to census data based on participant residential address. Area SES was expressed at baseline using an established index (SEIFA-IEO). Individual behavioural and mental health information (Wave 2) included diet (fruit and vegetable servings per day), physical activity (meets/does not meet recommendations), and the mental health component score of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. HbA1c was measured at each wave. Latent variable growth models with a structural equation modelling approach estimated associations within both parallel and sequential path structures. Models were adjusted for age, sex, employment status, marital status, education, and smoking. The sequential path model best fit the data. HbA1c worsened over time. Greater area SES was statistically significantly associated with greater fruit intake, meeting physical activity recommendations, and had a protective effect against increasing HbA1c directly and indirectly through physical activity behaviour. Positive mental health was statistically significantly associated with greater fruit and vegetable intakes and was indirectly protective against increasing HbA1c through physical activity. Greater SES was protective against increasing HbA1c. This relationship was partially mediated by physical activity but not diet. A protective effect of mental health was exerted through physical activity. Public health interventions should ensure individuals residing in low SES areas, and those with poorer mental health are supported in meeting physical activity recommendations.

The prevalence of mental health problems is high, and they have a wide-ranging and deleterious effect on many sectors in society. As well as the impact on individuals and families, mental health problems in the workplace negatively affect productivity. One of the factors that may exacerbate the impact of mental health problems is a lack of 'mental health literacy' in the general population. This has been defined as 'knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders, which aid their recognition, management, or prevention'. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a brief training programme developed in Australia in 2000; its aim is to improve mental health literacy and teach mental health first aid strategies. The course has been adapted for various contexts, but essentially covers the symptoms of various mental health disorders, along with associated mental health crisis situations. The programmes also teach trainees how to provide immediate help to people experiencing mental health difficulties, as well as how to signpost to professional services. It is theorised that improved knowledge will encourage the trainees to provide support, and encourage people to actively seek help, thereby leading to improvements in mental health. This review focuses on the effects of MHFA on the mental health and mental well-being of individuals and communities in which MHFA training has been provided. We also examine the impact on mental health literacy. This information is essential for decision-makers considering the role of MHFA training in their organisations. To examine mental health and well-being, mental health service usage, and adverse effects of MHFA training on individuals in the communities in which MHFA training is delivered. We developed a sensitive search strategy to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of MHFA training. This approach used bibliographic databases searching, using a search strategy developed for Ovid MEDLINE (1946 -), and translated across to Ovid Embase (1974 -), Ovid PsycINFO (1967 -), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group's Specialised Register (CCMDCTR). We also searched online clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO ICTRP), grey literature and reference lists of included studies, and contacted researchers in the field to identify additional and ongoing studies. Searches are current to 13th June 2023. We included RCTs and cluster-RCTs comparing any type of MHFA-trademarked course to no intervention, active or attention control (such as first aid courses), waiting list control, or alternative mental health literacy interventions. Participants were individuals in the communities in which MHFA training is delivered and MHFA trainees. Primary outcomes included mental health and well-being of individuals, mental health service usage and adverse effects of MHFA training. Secondary outcomes related to individuals, MHFA trainees, and communities or organisations in which MHFA training has been delivered DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard Cochrane methods. We analysed categorical outcomes as risk ratios (RRs) and odds ratios (ORs), and continuous outcomes as mean differences (MDs) or standardised mean differences (SMDs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We pooled data using a random-effects model. Two review authors independently assessed the key results using the Risk of Bias 2 tool and applied the GRADE criteria to assess the certainty of evidence MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-one studies involving a total of 22,604 participants were included in the review. Fifteen studies compared MHFA training with no intervention/waiting list, two studies compared MHFA training with an alternative mental health literacy intervention, and four studies compared MHFA training with an active or an attention control intervention. Our primary time point was between six and 12 months. When MHFA training was compared with no intervention, it may have little to no effect on the mental health of individuals at six to 12 months, but the evidence is very uncertain (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.28; 3 studies; 3939 participants). We judged all the results that contributed to this outcome as being at high risk of bias. No study measured mental health service usage at six to 12 months. We did not find published data on adverse effects. Only one study with usable data compared MHFA training with an alternative mental health literacy intervention. The study did not measure outcomes in individuals in the community. It also did not measure outcomes at our primary time point of six to 12 months. Four studies with usable data compared MHFA training to an active or attention control. None of the studies measured outcomes at our primary time point of six to 12 months. We cannot draw conclusions about the effects of MHFA training on our primary outcomes due to the lack of good quality evidence. This is the case whether it is compared to no intervention, to an alternative mental health literacy intervention, or to an active control. Studies are at high risk of bias and often not sufficiently large to be able to detect differences.

This chapter provides a critical analysis on the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of individuals through extensive integrative literature review and authors’ findings on mental health and COVID-19 pandemic. Literature shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of many individuals negatively. As a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals were left with mental health issues to battle with. Many studies have been conducted on COVID-19 and mental health. However, there are quite a few studies that have rigorously focused on the mental health of individuals post-the-COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need for studies on the mental health of individuals post-the-COVID-19 pandemic to inform policies and programmes that will be helpful for mitigating natural disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. There is also a need for continued support services such as counselling for individuals who have experienced mental health issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are We Prepared to Handle the Mental Health Consequences of Terrorism?

Physical activity is essential for a healthy life and quality of life, representing a fundamental role in individuals' physical and mental health. Concomitantly, the physical therapist, through the promotion of physical activity and exercise, can improve mental health, an essential factor in the current pandemic, triggering anxiety, fear, and depression crisis. To verify physical activity among Portuguese physical therapists and its association with mental health during pandemic times. An online questionnaire was applied through social media to all Portuguese physical therapists between October 21, 2021, and January 14, 2022. It contained general characterization questions of the sample, the IPAQ-SF questionnaire to assess physical activity levels, the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), which assesses the levels of mental health and the WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) to assess the subjective wellbeing. The sample totaled 286 respondents (82% female), with a mean age of 33. Of the total answers, 82% practiced physical activity, 45% had moderate levels of physical activity, and 19% vigorous. Physical therapists in these categories had lower values in the GHQ-28 and higher in the WHO-5. Those with better mental health also showed better subjective wellbeing (r = -0.571, p = 0.000). The data obtained showed that physical therapists mostly have moderate and vigorous levels of physical activity and that physical activity positively influences individuals' mental health and wellbeing, which proved to be a key factor due to the pandemic situation.

Long-term information on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental health of non-hospitalized individuals with "post COVID-19 syndrome" (PCS) is scarce. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to compare HRQOL and mental health of individuals with and without PCS in a German sample of non-hospitalized persons after SARS-CoV-2 infection, to characterize the long-term course up to 2 years and to identify predictors for post COVID-19 impairments. Individuals with past SARS-CoV-2 infection were examined at the University Hospital of Augsburg from November 2020 to May 2021 and completed a postal questionnaire between June and November 2022. Participants who self-reported the presence of fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, memory problems or concentration problems were classified as having PCS. HRQOL was assessed using the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey, mental health was measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Fatigue Asessment Scale was used to assess fatigue severity. Multivariable linear regression models with inverse probability weighting were used to determine the association between PCS and health outcomes. From the 304 participants (58.2% women, median age 52 years), 210 (69.1%) were classified as having PCS in median 26 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Persons with PCS showed significantly more often depressive and anxiety disorders. PCS was independently and significantly associated with higher levels of depression, post-traumatic stress and fatigue, as well as poorer physical and mental HRQOL in median 9 months as well as 26 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. A large number of acute symptoms and a prior diagnosis of depression were independently associated with poor mental health and HRQOL. While post-traumatic stress and mental HRQOL improved from 9 months to 26 months post infection onset, depressiveness, fatigue and physical HRQOL remained stable in both, persons with and without PCS. PCS in non-hospitalized persons after SARS-CoV-2 infection is often associated with long-term impairments of mental health and HRQOL outcomes.

Gender, mental health service use and objectively measured physical activity: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2003–2004)

Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression are common comorbidities in individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, exacerbating functional impairments. Exercise interventions show promise as a non-pharmacological approach, but their specific efficacy on mental health in the ADHD population remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise interventions on mental health in children and adolescents with ADHD and to explore potential moderating factors. This meta-analysis adhered to the PRISMA guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251162082). We systematically searched five electronic databases, including PubMed and Web of Science, from inception until October 2025. Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials evaluating the impact of exercise interventions on mental health (depression, anxiety, emotion regulation) in individuals with ADHD were included. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias tool (ROB 2) and the PEDro scale. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated as the effect size using random-effects models. Data analysis was performed using Stata 18.0. Eighteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that exercise interventions had a significant positive effect on improving depressive symptoms (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.13-0.71) and emotion regulation ability (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.06-0.92) in individuals with ADHD. Exercise interventions also significantly alleviated anxiety symptoms (SMD = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.006-0.84). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested that mind-body exercises (e.g., yoga) may be associated with particularly larger improvements in depression (SMD = 0.46) and anxiety (SMD = 0.80), while moderate-intensity exercise appeared to show favorable efficacy for depression (SMD = 0.54). Meta-regression indicated a potential, though statistically non-significant, trend for the effect on depression to diminish with increasing age. This meta-analysis provides evidence supporting exercise interventions, particularly mind-body and moderate-intensity exercise, as an effective adjunctive approach for improving mental health in individuals with ADHD. Exploratory findings suggest that mind-body and moderate-intensity exercises may offer specific benefits; however, further high-quality studies are warranted to confirm these specific parameters. The findings provide preliminary insights for developing individualized exercise prescriptions, emphasizing the need for caution in generalizing specific exercise types and intensities. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420251162082.

PURPOSE: School-adaptive behavior refers specifically to the positive and negative behaviors that individuals exhibit in the school environment and can be summarized in terms of both social competence and antisocial behavior. Research has demonstrated that physical activity contributes positively to an individual's physical and mental health and quality of life. It can also improve the adjustment difficulties of adolescents in school and indirectly enhance their school adjustment ability. This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical activity levels and school adjustment behaviors, the mediating role of mental health status, and gender differences among high school students in Shandong Province. METHODS: This study used the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents, School Social Behavior Scale, and the SCL-90 Symptom Self-Rating Scale to administer the questionnaire to 9,504 high school students in Shandong Province. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the questionnaires were tested to be above 0.9. We used descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, correlation analysis, linear regression, and mediation effect tests to analyze the data. RESULT: The mean age of the respondents was 16.5 years and 47.7% were female. The results indicated that (1) the physical activity and social competence of high school students were statistically significant in terms of gender differences (p &lt; 0.01); (2) The physical activity of the students was significantly and positively correlated with the students’ social competence, negatively correlated with psychological problems (r = 0.122, p &lt; 0.01) (r = -0.115, p &lt; 0.01) and the physical activity (β = 2.245, p &lt; 0.01) (β = -4.489, p &lt; 0.01) and physical activity was a significant and positive predictor of students' social competence and a significant negative predictor of psychological problems (β = 2.245, p &lt; 0.01) (β = -4.489, p &lt; 0.01). (3) The indirect effect of physical activity affecting social competence through mental health status (β = 0.517, 95% BootCI [0.019 – 0.034], p &lt; 0.01), considering the mediating role of mental health status. So, the student's psychological well-being partially mediated the relationship between physical activity and social competence. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the physical activity of adolescents has an important positive effect on their mental health and school adaptation social competence dimensions, and physical activity affects the social competence of high school students not only directly, but also indirectly through psychological problems. Higher levels of physical activity help to reduce the emergence of psychological problems and, in turn, improve students' social competence. Therefore, encouraging physical activity behavior among adolescents contributes to the development of healthy psychological and personality traits and enhances school adjustment.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours could explain observed differences in the prevalence of childhood obesity in a sample of Greek children. Epidemiological study. PA and sedentary behaviours were assessed by a self-administrated PA checklist. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from measured weight and height. A representative sample of Greek children aged 10-12 years attending fifth and sixth grade (n = 3195), living in rural and urban areas, were enrolled. Maturation status was not evaluated due to technical reasons. Prevalence of obesity was higher among children living in rural areas as compared with urban areas (12.1% vs. 10.7%, P < 0.01). Surprisingly, children living in rural areas had higher levels of self-reported PA (P < 0.001) and met current PA guidelines to a greater extent than their urban counterparts (P < 0.05). Furthermore, boys had higher levels of total, low-to-moderate intensity and vigorous intensity physical activity, as well as sedentary behaviours, than girls (all P-values <0.05). Stratified analysis by BMI category revealed that normal weight boys and girls had higher levels of total PA and vigorous intensity physical activity compared with overweight and obese boys from the same type of setting (all P-values <0.05). Children living in rural areas have higher levels of PA and more frequently met PA guidelines than their urban counterparts, despite a higher prevalence of obesity.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of self-talk training on craving, mental health, and rejection sensitivity in individuals with substance use disorders. Methods and Materials: The research utilized a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases. The statistical population included all opioid substance abusers who referred to outpatient treatment centers in Nasim Shahr during 2021–2022, from which 60 participants were selected through purposive sampling based on the inclusion criteria. Data collection instruments included a demographic information checklist (researcher-developed form), the Craving Assessment Questionnaire for Substance Use after Abstinence (Salehi Fedardi et al., 2011), the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (Keyes, 2002), and the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (Downey &amp; Feldman, 1996). The self-talk training program was conducted over 10 sessions for the experimental groups, while no interventions were implemented for the control group. Data were analyzed using statistical assumption tests and repeated measures analysis of variance with SPSS software version 26. Findings: Results indicated a significant interaction effect between group membership and time across pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases in the linear combination of craving, mental health, and rejection sensitivity variables (p &lt; .05). Conclusion: It can be concluded that self-talk training was effective in reducing craving and rejection sensitivity while improving mental health in individuals with substance use disorders.