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Exercise as Treatment for Anxiety: Systematic Review and Analysis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, but few studies have studied exercise in individuals preselected because of their high anxiety.

Purpose

The objective of this study is to review and critically evaluate studies of exercise training in adults with either high levels of anxiety or an anxiety disorder.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in which anxious adults were randomized to an exercise or nonexercise control condition. Data were extracted concerning anxiety outcomes and study design. Existing meta-analyses were also reviewed.

Results

Evidence from 12 RCTs suggested benefits of exercise, for select groups, similar to established treatments and greater than placebo. However, most studies had significant methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, concurrent therapies, and inadequate assessment of adherence and fitness levels.

Conclusions

Exercise may be a useful treatment for anxiety, but lack of data from rigorous, methodologically sound RCTs precludes any definitive conclusions about its effectiveness.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge José Sandoval, Duke University, for his assistance with article review and data extraction. This manuscript was supported, in part, by Grant HL080664-01 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Authors’ Statement of Conflict of Interest

Authors Stonerock, Hoffman, Smith, and Blumenthal declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3119, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Gregory L. Stonerock Ph.D., Benson M. Hoffman Ph.D., Patrick J. Smith Ph.D. & James A. Blumenthal Ph.D.

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  1. Gregory L. Stonerock Ph.D.
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  2. Benson M. Hoffman Ph.D.
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  3. Patrick J. Smith Ph.D.
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Stonerock, G.L., Hoffman, B.M., Smith, P.J. et al. Exercise as Treatment for Anxiety: Systematic Review and Analysis. ann. behav. med. 49, 542–556 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-014-9685-9

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