An exploratory study examining the core affect hypothesis of the anti-depressive and anxiolytic effects of physical activity

doi:10.1016/j.mhpa.2015.10.001

Mental Health and Physical Activity

Volume 9, October 2015, Pages 55-58

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2015.10.001 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
The exploratory study findings provide support for the core affect hypothesis.
•
For people with depression, exercise increased affective valence and activation.
•
For people with anxiety, exercise increased valence but not activation.
•
Exercise programs could be supplemented with disorder-specific tailored training.

Abstract

We propose the core affect hypothesis that physical activity enhances valence and activation for people with depression symptoms but only valence for people with anxiety symptoms. In an exploratory study, affective valence and activation were assessed before and after a bout of exercise at a self-selected intensity in a small sample of inpatients. For most people with depressive disorders, affective valence (57%) and activation (55%) increased; whereas for people with anxiety disorders, half (50%) experienced an increase in affective valence, but only some (35%) experienced increased activation. Although exploratory and underpowered to test for statistically significant differences, these findings provide tentative support for more robust exploration into the core affect hypothesis. It may be that practitioners can enhance the impact of physical activity on depression or anxiety symptoms by applying the core affect hypothesis.

Section snippets

The core affect hypothesis of the anti-depressive and anxiolytic effects of physical activity

Physical activity can be an effective primary or adjunct treatment for people with serious mental illness (Baker et al., 2014, Richardson et al., 2005, Stanton and Happell, 2014), including those with depression or anxiety disorders (Cooney et al., 2013, Jayakody et al., 2013). The credibility of physical activity as an effective prescription treatment alternative for depression and anxiety symptoms relies on a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these effects (Faulkner

Methods

Change in affect across a bout of exercise was assessed in people with depressive disorders and people with anxiety disorders. Participants were inpatients of a 26-bed inpatient facility of a private hospital in regional Queensland, Australia. They were able to adequately understand written and verbal English language, did not have any physical health problems that made it unsafe to exercise (Hamera, Goetz, Brown, & Van Sciver, 2010), and provided written informed consent. Hospital and

Results

Change in affective valence and activation for people with depressive and anxiety disorders is presented in Fig. 1. Of those with depressive disorders, 57.14% (n = 8) experienced an increase in affective valence from before to after the exercise bout; whereas only 21.43% (n = 3) experienced no change in valence and 21.43% (n = 3) experienced a decrease. Three participants with depressive disorders did not report activation, but for the remaining 11, 54.55% (n = 6) experienced an increase in

Discussion

The findings from this exploratory study provide tentative support for the need of future empirical investigations into the core affect hypothesis. Within this small sample, a bout of combined aerobic and resistance exercise at self-selected intensity resulted in most people with depressive disorders experiencing enhancements across both dimensions of affect – improving the positivity of valence and increasing activation. In contrast, for most people in this sample with anxiety disorders,

References (37)

A.L. Baker et al.
“Better health Choices” by telephone: a feasibility trial of improving diet and physical activity in people diagnosed with psychotic disorders
Psychiatry Research
(2014)
P. Ekkekakis et al.
Analysis of the affect measurement conundrum in exercise psychology: IV. A conceptual case for the affect circumplex
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2002)
L.S. Foley et al.
An examination of potential mechanisms for exercise as a treatment for depression: a pilot study
Mental Health and Physical Activity
(2008)
E. Hamera et al.
Safety considerations when promoting exercise in individuals with serious mental illness
Psychiatry Research
(2010)
J. Reed et al.
The effect of regular aerobic exercise on positive-activated affect: a meta-analysis
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2009)
J. Reed et al.
The effect of acute aerobic exercise on positive activated affect: a meta-analysis
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2006)
D.M. Williams et al.
Acute affective response to a moderate-intensity exercise stimulus predicts physical activity participation 6 and 12 months later
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2008)
American Psychiatric Association
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
(2013)
L.A. Clark et al.
Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
(1991)
G.M. Cooney et al.
Exercise for depression
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
(2013)

P. Ekkekakis

Pleasure and displeasure from the body: perspectives from exercise

Cognition and Emotion

(2003)

P. Ekkekakis

Affect circumplex redux: the discussion on its utility as a measurement framework in exercise psychology continues

International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology

(2008)

P. Ekkekakis

The dual-mode theory of affective responses to exercise in metatheoretical context: I. Initial impetus, basic postulates, and philosophical framework

International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology

(2009)

P. Ekkekakis et al.

Measuring state anxiety in the context of acute exercise using the state anxiety inventory: an attempt to resolve the brouhaha

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

(1999)

G. Faulkner et al.

Physical activity in the process of psychiatric rehabilitation: theoretical and methodological issues

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal

(2006)

S.D. Halpern et al.

The continuing unethical conduct of underpowered clinical trials

The Journal of the American Medical Association

(2002)

C.J. Hardy et al.

Not what, but how one feels: the measurement of affect during exercise

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

(1989)

W. Heller

The neuropsychology of emotion: developmental patterns and implications for psychopathology

Cited by (13)

Feeling states of people experiencing depression, anxiety, or comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms during a multi-day charity cycling ride: An ecological momentary assessment study
2020, Psychology of Sport and Exercise
Citation Excerpt :
It is also worth noting that the measure used to assess feeling states in this study underplays many negative-deactivated feeling states such as sadness or lethargy (Ekkekakis & Petruzzello, 2002; Russell, 1980). It may be that the effects of depression or anxiety symptoms are specific to negative-deactived states, as the feeling states most common in depression symptomology tend to be negative-deactivated (Rebar, Faulkner, & Stanton, 2015). Alternatively, it is possible that rather than having effects on negative affective feeling states, depression and anxiety symptoms have maladaptive effects only on specific emotional reactions, such as the self-conscious emotions of pride, shame, and guilt.
Regular exercise has substantial benefits for mental health. The way people feel during exercise impacts motivation. This study investigated whether experiencing depression, anxiety or comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms impacted feeling state responses throughout a charity cycling ride.
To achieve this aim, we conducted an ecological momentary assessment study of feeling states (via Pleasant and Negative Affect Schedule items) across a multi-day cause-based cycling event.
Multivariate and univariate generalized linear mixed models was applied to test how affective and self-conscious emotional experiences changed across time and whether feeling state change differed between people experiencing depression, anxiety, or comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms.
For people experiencing depression symptoms, positive feelings decreased and negative feelings increased throughout the event. People experiencing anxiety symptoms had initially elevated negative feeling states that decreased across the event. For people experiencing comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms, changes in pride mirrored that of people experiencing only depression symptoms (decrease from initially high levels); whereas changes in guilt mirrored that of people experiencing only anxiety symptoms (initially high levels that decreased throughout event).
These findings demonstrate that depression and anxiety symptoms put people at risk for having negative affective and emotional experiences during exercise events and that these effects are further complicated when depression and anxiety symptoms co-occur. Exercise events and interventions must consider how to mitigate the potentially demotivating impacts that negative affective judgments can have on motivation for future exercise participation of people experiencing depression and/or anxiety symptoms.
Physical activity in secure settings: A scoping review of methods, theory and practise
2019, Mental Health and Physical Activity
Citation Excerpt :
Intensity is an important predictor of future exercise adherence (Ekkekakis, Parfitt & Petruzello, 2011), therefore, an important consideration. Self-selected or affect regulated exercise intensity has been shown to improve adherence in both general (Parfitt, Alrumh, & Rowlands, 2012) and mental health populations (Rebar, Faulkner, & Stanton, 2015). Additionally, affect regulated exercise has been shown to be of sufficient intensity to improve cardiovascular fitness (Parfitt et al., 2012).
Evidence suggests that individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) engage in considerably less exercise and significantly more sedentary behaviour than the general population. It has been suggested that inactivity is likely to be exacerbated in secure services. The purpose of this scoping review was to explore and synthesise the existing literature with a view to facilitate discussion on methods, theory and practise used in current studies investigating exercise in secure settings. Additionally, this review aimed to identify gaps in the existing literature and highlight recommendations for future studies. Sixteen studies met the review inclusion criteria. Pre and post measurement was the most common study design. Only three studies utilised psychological or behaviour change theory to underpin their design. Self-report physical activity (e.g. attendance) and clinical measures (e.g. positive and negative symptomology) were the most commonly reported outcome. Length, type and intensity of sessions varied. Recruitment, attrition and limited staff involvement were noted as major challenges in data collection. Despite several uncertainties with methodology (design, validated scale and use of self-report data) and noted challenges with data collection (recruitment and attrition), the emerging data warrants future research into physical activity in secure settings.
Physical activity and mental health; it is more than just a prescription
2017, Mental Health and Physical Activity
Citation Excerpt :
Indeed, the United Kingdom's National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2009), drawing on available evidence, simply recommend people with mild or moderate depression should receive group-based exercise, with support from a competent practitioner, across three sessions per week of moderate duration (45 min–1 h) over 10–14 weeks. Guideline-based recommendations like these are clearly based on an assumption that fitness translates into reduced depression symptoms, neglecting the acute affective and motivational benefits of physical activity (e.g., Bartholomew, Morrison, & Ciccolo, 2005; Bodin & Martinsen, 2004; Ekkekakis, 2003; Rebar, Faulkner, & Stanton, 2015; Reed & Ones, 2006; Williams, 2008). One risk of generic prescriptions like these is that we will undermine people's motivation to be physically active in the future.
Most mental health and physical activity research describes unidirectional causes of physical activity on mental health, and as a result, a strong evidence base is being established for the effectiveness of physical activity as a treatment for mental health issues. Given that the efficacy of physical activity prescriptions are entirely reliant on individuals’ behavioral engagement, the aim of this special issue is to draw attention to translational evidence relevant to mental health and physical activity. This issue encompasses findings from a wide array of study designs (e.g., reviews, qualitative investigations, correlations studies, trial descriptions, pilot trial findings) of populations from high, middle, and low-income countries with clinical and non-clinical mental health issues. The evidence illustrates that people with mental health issues have unique facilitators and barriers to physical activity that are not accounted for within behavior change theories or interventions for the general population. Within this issue, you will find evidence of how mental health issues impact physical activity behavior change processes as well as examples of how context and person factors may moderate physical activity intervention efficacy amongst these populations. Informed by this evidence, we are calling for future research to investigate acceptability, maintenance, scalability, and generalizability of physical activity interventions for people with mental health issues. This future research will need to account for the unique barriers and facilitators of the population, be theoretically sound, apply to unique contexts, and adapt to dynamic change processes (including engagement and maintenance).
An Evaluation of MINDFIT—A Student Therapeutic Running Group as a Multi-Layered Intervention in the United Kingdom
2023, Nursing Reports
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RUNNING
2023, The Psychology of Running
Empirical links between emotions and listening to music mid- and post-exercise
2022, Psychology of Music

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

An exploratory study examining the core affect hypothesis of the anti-depressive and anxiolytic effects of physical activity

Highlights

Abstract

Section snippets

The core affect hypothesis of the anti-depressive and anxiolytic effects of physical activity

Methods

Results

Discussion

Psychiatry Research

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

Mental Health and Physical Activity

Psychiatry Research

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

Exercise for depression

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Pleasure and displeasure from the body: perspectives from exercise

Cognition and Emotion

Affect circumplex redux: the discussion on its utility as a measurement framework in exercise psychology continues

International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology

The dual-mode theory of affective responses to exercise in metatheoretical context: I. Initial impetus, basic postulates, and philosophical framework

International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Measuring state anxiety in the context of acute exercise using the state anxiety inventory: an attempt to resolve the brouhaha

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Physical activity in the process of psychiatric rehabilitation: theoretical and methodological issues

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal

The continuing unethical conduct of underpowered clinical trials

The Journal of the American Medical Association

Not what, but how one feels: the measurement of affect during exercise

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

The neuropsychology of emotion: developmental patterns and implications for psychopathology