Comparing Mindful and Non-Mindful Exercises on Alleviating Anxiety Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Wendy Wing Yan So, Erin Yiqing Lu, Wai Ming Cheung, Hector Wing Hong Tsang

Journal: International journal of environmental research and public health 2021;17(22):8692

PMID: 33238594

Plain Language Summary

Physical exercise is well known to be beneficial for physical and mental health, and has been proposed as effective treatment for anxiety symptoms. Recent studies have suggested mindful exercises, such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong, may further alleviate anxiety symptoms, compared with traditional exercise. The aim of this review is to compare the effects of mindful and non-mindful exercise on anxiety. A total of 14 studies were included in this analysis. Overall these studies found a significant decrease in anxiety in both mindful and non-mindful exercise. Eight studies found significantly lower anxiety levels in the mindful exercise group compared with the non-mindful exercise group. Based on these results, the authors conclude in general, exercise helps reduce anxiety and mindful exercise seems to be more effective in alleviating symptoms compared with non-mindful exercise. The authors recommend further studies explore the underlying mechanisms of mindful exercise and encourage yoga to be a primary intervention to help reduce overall anxiety.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

In recent years, studies and reviews have reported the therapeutic benefits of both mindful and non-mindful exercises in reducing anxiety. However, there have not been any systematic reviews to compare their relative effectiveness for therapeutic application, especially among the non-clinical population. Thus, the aim of this review is to compare the effectiveness between mindful and non-mindful exercise on treating anxiety among non-clinical samples.

METHODS

Potential articles were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Academic Search Premier, and PsycInfo. Randomized controlled trials, which involved both mindful and non-mindful exercises as intervention, and the use of anxiety outcome measures were included.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in our systematic review. In addition, 14 studies provided sufficient data to be included in the meta-analysis. For studies that reported significant group differences at post-assessment, results showed that mindful exercise was more beneficial in reducing anxiety than non-mindful exercise. The meta-analysis reported that yoga was more effective in reducing anxiety than non-mindful exercise.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to non-mindful exercise, yoga is shown to be more effective in alleviating anxiety symptoms. It is recommended that yoga could be used as a primary healthcare intervention to help the public reduce anxiety.

Address: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.; Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17228692