Efficacy of vigorous physical activity as an intervention for mitigating depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis
Year: 2025
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of vigorous physical activity as an intervention for alleviating depressive symptoms among adolescents and young adults. Methods: A comprehensive search on systematically reliable databases was carried out, and studies running till August 2023 were considered in this study. The articles included in this meta-analysis assessed the impact of exercise interventions on depressive symptomatology in adolescents and young adults. Two independent investigators screened the studies, extracted data, and evaluated quality. Results: = 0.0001; a moderate effect size in both the adolescent population with clinical depression and adolescents who presented with subclinical depressive symptoms. Notably, vigorous physical exercise worked most favorably for adolescent depressive symptomatology, while moderate-intensity exercise was the best choice for adolescents with diagnosed clinical depression. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that vigorous physical activity could reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults. However, further studies are needed to provide clearer recommendations regarding the type, duration, and intensity of exercise necessary to treat clinical depression in this population.
Authors: Wei Yang, Huijing Chen, Wei Liu, Sheng Qu, Yao Ge, Jin Song
Institution: Wuhan Wudong Hospital
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W4407716111