The effect of physical exercise on depression among college students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: The goal of the present research was to evaluate the effectiveness of physical exercise intervention in enhancing psychological well-being and decreasing symptoms of depression among college students, adopting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methodology: The study was performed by searching four databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) to determine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring the impacts of physical exercise therapies among college students with symptoms of depression. The sequential execution of a meta-analyses, subgroup analyses, and publication bias analyses was accomplished utilizing the software package RevMan version 5.3.

Results: There were eight articles included. This research demonstrated a significant impact (d = -0.75, P < 0.05), indicating that physical exercise has a substantial impact on decreasing or mitigating depression. The subgroup analyses revealed that interventions involving physical exercise workouts lasting 12 weeks or longer (d = -0.93, P < 0.05), with physical exercise sessions lasting between 30 and 60 min (d = -0.77, P < 0.05), and with physical exercise performed minimum of three times a week (d = -0.90, P < 0.05) were the most effective in reducing symptoms of depression.

Conclusion: Physical exercise interventions have a beneficial impact on reducing depression among college students. The optimal mode was discovered to be college students participating in each session for a duration of 30 to 60 min, at least three times per week, and for more than 12 weeks. College students are encouraged to cultivate a consistent and long-term physical exercise routine to sustain their physical and mental health.

Keywords: College students; Depression; Meta-analysis; Physical exercise.

Figure 1. PRISMA diagram depicting the sequential steps of the selection process.

Figure 2. Forest plot illustrating the impact of physical exercise on depression among college students (López-Rodríguez et al., 2017; Papp et al., 2019; Philippot et al., 2022; Saltan & Ankaralı, 2021; Zhang & Jiang, 2023; Zhang et al., 2018, 2023).

Figure 3. Bias funnel plot.

Figure 4. Forest plot illustrating the impact of physical exercise on depression among college students within different subgroups of the intervention cycle (López-Rodríguez et al., 2017; Papp et al., 2019; Philippot et al., 2022; Saltan & Ankaralı, 2021; Zhang & Jiang, 2023; Zhang et al., 2018, 2023).

Figure 5. Forest plot illustrating the impact of physical exercise on depression among college students within different subgroups of the intervention duration (López-Rodríguez et al., 2017; Papp et al., 2019; Philippot et al., 2022; Saltan & Ankaralı, 2021; Zhang & Jiang, 2023; Zhang et al., 2018, 2023).

Figure 6. Forest plot illustrating the impact of physical exercise on depression among college students within different subgroups of the intervention frequency (López-Rodríguez et al., 2017; Papp et al., 2019; Philippot et al., 2022; Saltan & Ankaralı, 2021; Zhang & Jiang, 2023; Zhang et al., 2018, 2023).