Background: Physical inactivity has become a global somatic and mental health issue. To counterbalance, promoting regular physical activity appears plausible, above all among adults, where physical inactivity is particularly high. However, some, but sparse, research also indicates that excessive exercising might be associated with unfavorable mental health dimensions. Here, we tested the hypothesis that excessive exercising was associated with more mental health issues. To this end, we assessed mental health issues, stress, mental toughness, and sleep disturbances among heavy and light adult exercisers.
Methods: A total of 200 adults (mean age: 35 years; 62% females) took part in the study. Of those, 100 were heavy exercisers (18-22 h/week), and 100 were light exercisers (1-6 h/week). Participants completed questionnaires covering sociodemographic information, mental health issues, perceived stress, mental toughness, and sleep disturbances.
Results: Compared with light exercisers, heavy exercisers reported higher mental health issues, more stress, but also higher mental toughness scores and less sleep disturbances. Higher age, lower mental toughness scores, heavy exerciser-status, and more sleep disturbances predicted higher mental health complaints.
Conclusions: Compared with light exercising, heavy exercising might be associated with more mental health issues. As such, it appears that the association between exercise frequency, intensity, and duration and psychological well-being might be related to an optimum point, but not to a maximum point. In a similar vein, heavily exercising athletes, their coaches, parents, and representatives of sports associations should get sensitized to possible adverse psychological effects of excessive physical activity patterns.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101289 | DOI Listing |
J Atten Disord
January 2025
Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Clinical Psychology and Counseling Services Unit, Saudi Arabia.
Objective: This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Adult Self-Report Scale-5 (the ASRS-5-AR) within a large sample of adults residing in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study applied the ASRS-5-AR to a random sample of 4,299 Saudi and non-Saudi adults, aged 19 to 66 years (31.16 ± 9.
Scand J Occup Ther
January 2025
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Background: Despite valuing occupation, occupational therapists report barriers to enacting occupation-based practice. One barrier noted in the literature is hegemony, the dominance of one social group's ideas over others. Specifically, biomedical and business models dominating healthcare are reported to significantly impact occupational therapists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth Educ Behav
January 2025
NYU, New York, NY, USA.
Heavy drinking is a major public health concern, particularly among young adults who often experience fear of being stigmatized when seeking help for alcohol-related problems. To address drinking concerns outside clinical settings, we tested the feasibility of a novel imagery-based behavior change strategy led by student lay interventionists in a college setting. Participants were adults recruited on a college campus and were randomized to either learn the four steps of WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan) or to learn a format-matched Sham WOOP (Wish, Outcome, "Outcome," and Plan).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth Care Women Int
January 2025
Human Development Programme, Aga Khan University, Pakistan.
The authors of this research explored community perspectives on women's mental health in rural Pakistan, using a qualitative approach to identify beliefs hindering women's access to mental healthcare. Data were collected through 15 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 15 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders in Gilgit-Baltistan, using purposive sampling. The researchers revealed low community awareness of mental health and a lack of diagnostic and treatment services for women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Psychol
January 2025
Sports Training Academy, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Objective: This study aims to explore the impact of physical exercise on feelings of inferiority among college students, focusing on the mediating roles of social support and emotional regulation ability. The research investigates both direct and indirect pathways to understand how physical exercise enhances psychological resilience and mitigates negative self-perceptions.
Methods: A sample of 2,036 college students from 15 provinces in China was surveyed using validated scales for physical exercise, feelings of inferiority, social support, and emotional regulation ability.
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