Literature Review - Essay Example

Literature Review Exercise and its Impact on Anxiety There has been an increase in the number of Americans suffering from mental disorders specifically anxiety. There is a common belief that physical exercise can have a positive impact on managing anxiety levels among the US citizens. There are numerous studies that have been conducted over the years to prove that physical exercise can be used to regulate anxiety levels. The research question of the literature review analyses the use of physical exercise to regulate and treat anxiety in the population. This is through the evaluation of the findings of credible sources that have looked into the topic. Prevalence of Anxiety Anxiety disorders are common in the contemporary society and causes suffering on people that are adversely affect members of the population. Research has shown that anxiety disorders are the most common mental issues as explained by Kessler et al. (2005:617). Large scale epidemiological studies conducted in the US have shown that 25-30 percent (Kessler et al. 2005:618). It can be observed that other surveys that were conducted in Western nations such as Great Britain, Canada and Australia (Andrews et al., 2001:143). Additionally, anxiety was found to be the leading mental health issue by the World Health Organisation. In addition to the high occurrence rates of anxiety issues that were found in the population, a considerable number of individuals were found to have anxiety levels that are not up to the clinical levels. Worry is the major indicator of the anxiety disorders that is common among the general population. The Role of Physical Exercise in Preventing Anxiety Numerous studies have been conducted on the role of physical exercise in preventing exercise. Others have concentrated on the efficiency of exercise in alleviating anxiety disorders. These studies have stated that there is a link between frequent physical exercise and individuals’ well-being. According to Steptoe and Butler (1996:1792) a research that was conducted on 5061 people revealed that there is a well-established correlation between emotional well-being and regular physical exercise. Later Steptoe (1997) found that there was a strong inverse connection between frequent exercise and depression levels in a sample of 16, 483 participants of college students after taking into account the impacts of gender and age. Subsequently, Stephens (1988:45) conducted a research on American and Canadian participants and found a similar trend. This means that there was a negative relationship between frequent exercise and depression symptoms. In this study factors including physical illness, sex, age and other socio-demographic aspects were statistically addressed. In a similar analysis conducted by Goodwin (2003) from the data by the United States National Comorbidity Survey established that a diagnosis for anxiety disorders were linked to low levels of physical activity. In another large scale study that was done by Abu-Omar, Rutten and Lethenin (2004:301) on 16, 230 participants in fifteen European nations found an inverse link between physical activity and prevalence to anxiety and depression. The correlation data from the above mentioned studies are obvious owing to the fact that the low levels of physical activity, motivational deficits and the sedentary lifestyle that individuals live in the modern world are the key symptoms of anxiety. Furthermore, these studies do not offer insight into the preventative part played by physical activity in anxiety and research supports the facts that are got from the cross-sectional literature. In another research that was conducted by Strohle et al. (2007:777) on 2458 individuals over a period of four years discovered that people that take part in regular exercise experience relatively lower levels of anxiety as compared to those that did not. Furthermore, in study done by Motl et al. (2004) found a relationship between the onset of anxiety and infrequent changes in exercise. Farmer and his colleagues did a study on a sample of 1900 participants in a period of eight years that found that regular exercise led to prevention of anxiety and depression. Findings from this study were similar to those conducted by Strawbridge et al. (2002:329) in a population of adults. In a follow-up study that was conducted by Paffenberger, Lee and Leung (1994:9) on 10, 210 men it was discovered that insufficient exercise resulted into increased prevalence of depression twenty five years later. Finally, Camacho et al. (1991:220) stated that there is an inverse connection between physical activity and anxiety in two studies that were done in two nine year periods. Evidence got from the longitudinal research coupled with data got from the cross-sectional studies gives empirical support that taking part in frequent exercise prevents anxiety disorders and results to improved mental health at large. Exercise as a Remedy for Anxiety In spite of the fact that the research concerning the effectiveness of exercise as a way of treating anxiety disorders is not as wide as it should be, there are numerous studies that support the claim. To start with Orwin (1974:97) proved the anxiolytic impact that physical exercise puts on the healthy individuals. A more recent analysis of forty studies that looked into the influence of physical exercise on levels of anxiety in the population found there was a weak to moderate impact for the individuals that took part in physical exercise in relation to those that tried alternative remedies (Long and van Stavel, 1995:167). In a more recent study that was done by Merom et al. in 2007:959 it was found that a blend of physical activity and CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) that was conducted in groups was found to be comparatively in treating patients with anxiety disorders than educational or nutritional interventions. In a nutshell, anxiety and depression were found to be the most common mental disorders in the US population. Recent studies have shown that individuals that do not take part in physical exercise are more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders. Finally, exercise can be used as a way of treating anxiety disorders and has proven to be more efficient than other methods of treatment that were used in the past. References Abu-Omar, K., Rutten, A. & Lehtinen, V. (2004) ‘Mental health and physical activity in the European Union’ Social and Preventative Medicine, vol. 49, pp. 301–309. Andrews, G., Henderson, S. & Hall, W. (2001) ‘Prevalence, co morbidity, disability and service utilisation: Overview of the Australian National Mental Health Survey’ British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 178, pp. 145­‐153. Camacho, T.C., Roberts, R.E., Lazarus, N.B., Kaplan, G.A. & Cohen, R.D. (1991) ‘Physical activity and depression: evidence from the Alameda County Study’ American journal of epidemiology, vol. 134, no. 2, pp. 220-231. Goodwin, R.D. (2003) ‘Association between physical activity and mental disorders among adults in the United States’ Preventative Medicine, vol. 36, pp. 698–703. Kessler, R.C., Chiu, W.T., Demler, O. & Walters, E.E. (2005) ‘Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication’ Archives of general psychiatry, vol. 62, no. pp. 617-627. Long, B.C. & Stavel, R.V. (1995) ‘Effects of exercise training on anxiety: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology’ vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 167-189. Merom, P., Phongsavan, R. & Wagner, et al. (2008) ‘Promoting walking as an adjunct intervention to group cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders–a pilot group randomized trial’ Journal of Anxiety Disorders, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 959- 968. Orwin, A. (1974) ‘Treatment of a situational phobia—a case for running’ The British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 125, no. 584, pp. 95-98. Paffenbarger Jr, R.S. & Lee, I.M. (1996) ‘Physical activity and fitness for health and longevity’ Research quarterly for exercise and sport, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 5-11. Steptoe, A.S. & Butler, N. (1996) ‘Sports participation and emotional wellbeing in adolescents.’ The Lancet, vol. 347, no. 9018, 1789-1792. Stephens T. (1988) ‘Physical activity and mental health in the United States and Canada: Evidence from four population surveys’ Preventive Medicine, vol. 17, 35–47. Strawbridge, W.J., Deleger, S., Roberts, R.E. & Kaplan, G.A. (2002) ‘Physical activity reduces the risk of subsequent depression for older adults’ American Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 156, no. 4, pp. 328-334. Ströhle, A. (2009) ‘Physical activity, exercise, depression and anxiety disorders’ Journal of neural transmission, vol. 116, no. 6, pp. 777-784. Read More