Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25697132›Full record

SynthesisAnnals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine2015

Exercise as Treatment for Anxiety: Systematic Review and Analysis.

Gregory L Stonerock, Benson M Hoffman, Patrick J Smith, James A Blumenthal

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 133 papers, 22 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
133citing papers in PubMed, 22 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

133 citing papers in PubMed, 22 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  3. The Use of Physical Activity in Coping with Test Anxiety Among Students: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
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73 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Gregory L StonerockDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3119, Durham, NC, 27710, USA, gregory.stonerock@duke.edu.
Benson M Hoffman
Patrick J Smith
James A Blumenthal

Funding

Exercise, Depression, and Cardiac RiskR01HL080664 · NHLBI · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI BLUMENTHAL, JAMES A · 2006 to 2010
$3.7M
Stress Management and Biomarkers of Risk in Cardiac RehabilitationR01HL093374 · NHLBI · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI BLUMENTHAL, JAMES A · 2009 to 2014
$3.7M
NHLBI NIH HHS HL080664-01NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL080664NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL093374
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, but few studies have studied exercise in individuals preselected because of their high anxiety. PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to review and critically evaluate studies of exercise training in adults with either high levels of anxiety or an anxiety disorder.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in which anxious adults were randomized to an exercise or nonexercise control condition. Data were extracted concerning anxiety outcomes and study design. Existing meta-analyses were also reviewed.

resultsEvidence from 12 RCTs suggested benefits of exercise, for select groups, similar to established treatments and greater than placebo. However, most studies had significant methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, concurrent therapies, and inadequate assessment of adherence and fitness levels.

conclusionsExercise may be a useful treatment for anxiety, but lack of data from rigorous, methodologically sound RCTs precludes any definitive conclusions about its effectiveness.

Indexed as

Exercise TherapyAnxietyAnxiety DisordersCombined Modality TherapyHumans

Identifiers

PMID25697132
PMCPMC4498975

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.