Exercise and Adolescent Depression

This assignment analyzes the relationship between exercise and adolescent depression. It examines various studies, including a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and a survey of health clinicians treating adolescents with depression. The analysis explores the effectiveness of exercise as a treatment or preventive measure for depression in young people, considering factors like exercise intensity and clinician attitudes towards exercise prescription.

UNIVERSITY:
Reg No
Name
Course
Task
Evidence & Evaluation tables

A) PICOT Question
Population : Target population is adolescents who are undergoing severe depression levels
Intervention : Normal exercise levels
Comparison : Absence of exercises activities
Outcome : Reduction of depression levels among the population of depressed adolescence.
Time : any time frame with respect to levels of depression and the intervention being applied in a period of six months
Comparison groups
Comparison groups are of relevancy in these studies. This was evident due to the fact there was no experimental studies being done on
the subjects in all the four studies reviewed. In this case comparison group were not focused much in the treatment approaches.
Time inclusion
Time factor was significant in two studies while in other studies it was of no significant. Time was significant in the study by Dopp et al
2012 as it was assessing an intervention of program. Further in the study by Joffe et al 2017, time was significant however no
expounded clearly. Time is relevant for assessing the level of evidence proposed by the study.
B) Evidence synthesis
Study 1
Depressed Adolescents treated with
exercise: study rational and design
for a pilot study, (Hughes et al
2009) Databse NCBI
Study 2
Exercise for Adolescents
with Depressive
Disorders: A Feasibility
Study, (Dopp et al 2012)
Database : Pubmed
Study 3
Exercise in the
Prevention and
Treatment of
Adolescent
Depression: A
Promising but
Little Researched
Intervention, (Dunn
& eintraub,
2008)Database:
Ebscohost
Study 4
Physical Activity for
Treatment of
Adolescent and Young
Adult Depression,
(Joffe et al 2017)
Database ; Journal
watch
Study 5
Clinician perspectives
and practices regarding
the use of exercise in the
treatment of adolescent
depression, (Radovic,
Melvin & Gordon,
2017).Database :
Pubmed
Synthesis
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Population Intervention for depressed youth The study assessed 13
adolescent having
depression and having
low aerobic levels
Adolescents with
depressive
disorders
Meta-analysis
involving 771 young
patients with
depression (ages, 16–
26 years).
It involved a total of 125
mental health clinicians
managing adolescent
depression
Small sample size thus
inefficient to initiate cause
and effect, however in
some studies the sample
size was large
Intervention Assessed using standardized
aerobic exercise to treat depressed
adolescents
Assessed participants for
12 weeks under
supervised and non
supervised attentions
depressions at 15 and 21
sessions respectively
Review analysis of
randomized trials
done
Supervised group
exercise of moderate to
vigorous intensity at
least twice weekly for
8 weeks.
Health survey on
incorporation of exercise
in mental health
treatment.
Appropriate intervention
observed in all studies
Comparison Presence of control intervention
group
No comparison group - No comparison group No comparison group There were no comparison
groups in all the studies
Outcome The study found out that there was
no clinical controlled study of
clinical based interventions on
exercise on depressed adolescents
Secondary outcomes
showed that there was
increase in exercise levels
and reduction in
depression severity of
participants who were
overweight after 12
weeks healthy weight
participants had doubled.
The results showed
that exercise was
concerned with
efficacy of mono
therapy and
combined treatment
options for
adolescent
depressive
disorders.
Large effect size was
found for exercise
verses control
conditions.
Effect size did not
differ by type of
control group, patient
age (<18 vs. ≥18
years), diagnostic
status, severity of
depression, type of
sample
Large portion of
clinicians prescribing
exercise activity
"always" (24.3%) or
"most of the time"
(43.4%).
Clinicians further
showed good attitude
towards exercise and
treatment of adolescent
depression levels
Outcomes were evident in
all the analyzed studies
Time 12 weeks of exercise 12 weeks of exercise Twice weekly for 8
weeks.
No time frame for survey
study
No specific time lines for
the studies and showed
varied rates
C ) Evaluation table
Sources Design Sample size Variables Findings, strengths and
weaknesses
Evidence level Synthesis of evidence
Hughes et al
2009
Randomized
controlled
intervention
trials
60 non
medicated
youth
depressed aged
between 12-17
Duration
intensity of
aerobic
exercises and
depression
The higher the
intensity, the lower the
depression levels of
adolescents patients
Level 1 The study aimed to assess the short
duration and long intensive aerobic
exercises with assessment on
depression levels. The study findings
thus shows that depressed
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years for 11
months
levels of
adolescents
adolescents are willing to engage in
aerobic exercises
Dopp et al
2012
Quasi
Experiment
study design
13 adolescent
participants
including 9
females and 4
males
Dependent –
depression
Indep variable-
exercise, heart
rate, BMI
The findings of the
study showed that there
was increase in levels
of exercise and
decrease in depression
levels among the study
participants
Level 1 The critical examination shows that
outcome of adolescent depressions
had an increase in the levels of
exercise and decline in the overall
symptoms o f depressive nature
Dunn &
Weintraub,
2008
Meta analysis
review
Review of 36
articles
Exercise and
adolescent
depression
Exercise was shown to have
the ability to be effective
and acts as a monotherapy
or as enjoined inform of
treatment for adolescent
depression
Level 2 Review summarizes the findings and
analyzes the design flaws of
randomized trials of exercise to treat
adolescent depression, offering
recommendations on how to design
more methodologically sound
studies
Bailey et al
2017
An analysis of
16 randomised
controlled trial
studies
771 young
patients with
depression
(ages, 16–26
years)
Dependent
variable is
exercise
intensity while
independent
variable was
young adult
depression
large effect significant on
levels of depression among
adolescence
Level 2 low quality of evidence due to study
design limitations
Radovic,
Melvin &
Gordon, 2017
Online survey
among health
clinicians
N=125 Health
clinicians
treating
adolescent
depression
Variables
included,
clinician
attitudes,
confidence level
and knowledge
of physical
exercise
There was remarked positive
attitude on exercise and
treatment of adolescents and
depressions and it is
recommended for treatment
purposes
Level1 - Evidence obtained
illustrated how exercise
could play a role in
implementation
through a health
professional as
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prescription. compared to health
clinician.
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References
Bailey AP et al, (2016). Treating depression with physical activity in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of
randomised controlled trials. Psychol Med 2017 Oct 10; [e-pub]. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717002653)
Dopp, R. R., Mooney, A. J., Armitage, R., & King, C. (2012). Exercise for adolescents with depressive disorders: a feasibility study. Depression
research and treatment, 2012.
Dunn, A. L., & Weintraub, P. (2008). Exercise in the prevention and treatment of adolescent depression: a promising but little researched
intervention. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 2(6), 507-518.
Hughes, C. W., Trivedi, M. H., Cleaver, J., Greer, T. L., Emslie, G. J., Kennard, B., … Barnes, C. (2009). DATE: Depressed adolescents treated
with exercise: Study rationale and design for a pilot study. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 2(2), 76–85.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2009.09.005
Radovic, S., Melvin, G. A., & Gordon, M. S. (2017). Clinician perspectives and practices regarding the use of exercise in the treatment of
adolescent depression. Journal of sports sciences, 1-7.
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