Introduction
The topic of this literature review is depression in young people and adults. Depression is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses, and there is a strong focus on finding an effective treatment for this mental condition (Schuch & Stubbs, 2019). The literature review concerns the study of the effect of exercise on symptoms of depression, since the search for non-drug methods of control will greatly help patients who cannot take drug therapy. In addition, exercise can be helpful in preventing depression and reducing the chance of recurrence. The question to be answered in this literature review is: Is exercise an effective way to combat depression in young and adult patients?
Literature Review
Method
To answer the research question, a literature search was conducted in the Google Scholar and PubMed databases, a total of 20 articles were studied. The search was made using the keywords “depression”, “exercise”, “youth” and “adult”. Relevance was one of the main criteria for selecting articles; research papers over the past five years were selected. The relevance of the studies was based on the criteria for conducting or reviewing exercise as a method of dealing with depression. The review includes both qualitative and quantitative studies to provide a complete understanding of the issue. All studies reviewed emphasize the role of exercise in fighting depression, some pointing to a significant effect, others find the effect is not so impressive.
Physical Exercise Significantly Reduces Depressive Symptoms
Aerobic Exercise or Stretching as an Add-on to Inpatient Treatment of Depression
A study by Imboden et al. (2020) investigates the effect of aerobic exercise on the severity of depression symptoms. The study was a randomized controlled trial, with patients diagnosed with depression assigned to aerobics and stretching sessions at random (Imboden et al., 2020). Regardless of the type of exercise, most subjects showed significant short-term reductions in depressive symptoms (Imboden et al. 2020). Thus, the study confirms a significant positive relationship between any type of physical exercise and a reduction in depressive symptoms.
The Role of Exercise in Preventing and Treating Depression
Schuch & Stubbs (2019) conduct a descriptive study of the effect of exercise on the treatment of depression among all age groups. The study concludes that exercise can significantly reduce depression, regardless of contributing factors (Schuch & Stubbs, 2019). Unlike Imboden et al. (2020) Schuch & Stubbs (2019) emphasizes the positive effect of exercise on acute symptoms. The study notes both the short-term and long-term effects of exercise and proves that it can be critical to fighting depression.
Exercise Interventions for the Prevention of Depression
Hu et al. (2020) conduct a systematic review of meta-analyses to identify the relationship of exercise and depression prevention. The researchers state there is not enough data on the early stages of depression to conclude that exercise can prevent depression. However, six meta-analyses studied found significant effects of exercise interventions on youth and adults (Hu et al., 2020). The study’s findings that exercise can significantly affect the symptoms of depression already present correlate with the studies described above.
Effect of Exercise on Depression Is not Significant
Physical Activity and Mental Health
Ansari & Salam (2021) are studying the effects of exercise on depression symptoms among college students. The study is conducted by a survey method that reveals the low level of physical activity among students (Ansari & Salam, 2021). Although high self-report scores were positively associated between low depression, this relationship did not reach statistical significance (Ansari & Salam, 2021). Unlike previous studies, Ansari & Salam (2021) used a survey method, which may cause subjective bias in the results. Universities would benefit from promoting physical education programs and healthy lifestyles, but it cannot be assumed that this will have a positive effect on symptoms of depression.
Physical Activity Is Effective When Combined with Other Treatment Approaches
Bouldering Psychotherapy is more Effective in the Treatment of Depression than Physical Exercise Alone
Karg et al. (2020) are studying the effectiveness of bouldering therapy for patients with depression compared with conventional exercise. The randomized control trial included adults with mild depressive symptoms (Karg et al., 2020). Patients included in the boulder therapy group showed a significant improvement compared to those who did the exercises along (Karg et al., 2020). The findings of the study are in contrast to the studies reviewed, in which any physical intervention had a noticeable effect on the condition of patients with depression. However, the study demonstrates that physical activity in general is aimed at improving mental health.
Conclusion
All of the studies reviewed have noted a positive relationship between exercise and reduction in depressive symptoms. The research question can be positively answered, since exercise reduces depressive symptoms in youth and adults. It is especially important that all studies notice a positive relationship, regardless of the significance of the effect. Unfortunately, there is not enough research on the possibility of using exercise as a way to prevent the onset of depression. Further research is needed to identify the most effective type of exercise to combat depression. At this stage, it can be concluded that physical activity should be shown to people with depression as a concomitant treatment factor that can bring significant improvements.
References
Ansari, E. I. W., & Salam, A. (2021). Physical activity and mental health. Is achieving the physical activity guidelines associated with less depressive symptoms among undergraduates at the University of Turku, Finland? Central European Journal of Public Health, 29(3), 201-208. Web.
Hu, M. X., Turner, D., Generaal, E., Bos, D., Ikram, M. K., Ikram, M. A., & Penninx, B. W. (2020). Exercise interventions for the prevention of depression: a systematic review of meta-analyses. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1-11. Web.
Imboden, C., Gerber, M., Beck, J., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Pühse, U., & Hatzinger, M. (2020). Aerobic exercise or stretching as add-on to inpatient treatment of depression: Similar antidepressant effects on depressive symptoms and larger effects on working memory for aerobic exercise alone. Journal of Affective Disorders, 276(1), 866-876. Web.
Karg, N., Dorscht, L., Kornhuber, J., & Luttenberger, K. (2020). Bouldering psychotherapy is more effective in the treatment of depression than physical exercise alone: Results of a multicenter randomized controlled intervention study. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 1-13. Web.
Schuch, F. B., & Stubbs, B. (2019). The role of exercise in preventing and treating depression. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 18(8), 299-304. Web.