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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Feb 5;20(4):2828.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20042828.

Tai Chi Exercise for Mental and Physical Well-Being in Patients with Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Norliyana Abdullah Sani  1 , Siti Suhaila Mohd Yusoff  1 , Mohd Noor Norhayati  1 , Aida Maziha Zainudin  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Tai Chi Exercise for Mental and Physical Well-Being in Patients with Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Norliyana Abdullah Sani et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Tai Chi is a mindfulness-body practice that has physiological and psychosocial benefits and can be integrated into the prevention and rehabilitation of various medical conditions; however, the effectiveness of Tai Chi in the treatment of depression remains unclear. This review aimed to determine the effects of Tai Chi exercise on mental and physical well-being in patients with depressive symptoms. We searched databases for English language publications that appeared during January 2000-2022. The included trials were RCTs that involved people with depression with no other medical conditions, and included both adolescent and adult samples. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effects model and the heterogeneity was estimated using I2 statistics. The quality of each trial was assessed according to the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. The eight trials were divided into two comparisons: (1) a combination of Tai Chi and antidepressants versus standard antidepressants; (2) Tai Chi versus no intervention. The Tai Chi intervention showed improvements in mental and physical well-being as evidenced by the reductions in depression and anxiety and improved quality of life (QOL) of the patients with depressive symptoms. Further well-controlled RCTs are recommended with a precision trial design and larger sample sizes.

Keywords: Tai chi; depressive; mental well-being; physical well-being; randomized control trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow chart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias graph, showing the review authors’ judgements of each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included studies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk of bias summary, showing the review authors’ judgements of each risk of bias item for each included trial [44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51]. Note: formula image indicates low risk of bias, formula image indicates high risk of bias and formula image indicates unclear risk of bias.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot provided for comparison of the combinations of Tai Chi and antidepressants versus standard antidepressants for the depressive level outcome [44,45,49,50]. Note: Line indicates confidence interval and the green square indicates effect estimate. Black diamond indicates cumulative effect and its confidence interval.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot provided for comparison of the combination of Tai Chi and antidepressants versus standard antidepressants for anxiety level outcome [44,49]. Note: Line indicates confidence interval and the green square indicates effect estimate. Black diamond indicates cumulative effect and its confidence interval.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot shown for comparison of the combinations of Tai Chi and antidepressants versus standard antidepressants for mental-health-related QOL outcome [45,49,50]. Note: Line indicates confidence interval and the green square indicates effect estimate. Black diamond indicates cumulative effect and its confidence interval.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Forest plot shown for comparison of the combinations of Tai Chi and antidepressants versus standard antidepressants for physically related QOL outcome [44,49,50]. Note: Line indicates confidence interval and the green square indicates effect estimate. Black diamond indicates cumulative effect and its confidence interval.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Forest plot shown for comparison of Tai Chi versus no intervention for depressive level outcome [46,47,48,51]. Note: Line indicates confidence interval and the green square indicates effect estimate. Black diamond indicates cumulative effect and its confidence interval.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Forest plot shown for comparison of Tai Chi versus no intervention for mental-health-related QOL outcomes [47,51]. Note: Line indicates confidence interval and the green square indicates effect estimate. Black diamond indicates cumulative effect and its confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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