ArticleCNS spectrums2020
Is problematic exercise really problematic? A dimensional approach.
Article in CNS spectrums, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Theoretical conceptualisations of problematic exercise in psychometric assessment instruments: A systematic review.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2021Pooled it
- Compulsive exercise in adults with trichotillomania and skin picking disorder.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2026Article
- Investigating behavioural addictions in adults with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.PloS one · 2025Article
- Emotion regulation across psychiatric disorders.CNS spectrums · 2024Article
- The Associations between Obsessive Compulsive Personality Traits, Self-Efficacy, and Exercise Addiction.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Why do we climb mountains? An exploration of features of behavioural addiction in mountaineering and the association with stress-related psychiatric disorders.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2023Article
- Exercise addiction: A narrative overview of research issues.Dialogues in clinical neuroscience · 2023Review
- Under pressure to exercise: a cross-sectional study of characteristics and predictors of compulsive exercise in early adolescents.Journal of eating disorders · 2022Article
- A Review of the Components of Problematic Exercise in Psychometric Assessment Instruments.Frontiers in public health · 2022Review
- The Effects of Physical Exercise on Mental Health: From Cognitive Improvements to Risk of Addiction.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Long-term physical health outcomes of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits.Journal of clinical psychology · 2021Article
- Exercise Addiction and Muscle Dysmorphia: The Role of Emotional Dependence and Attachment.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThough moderate exercise has numerous health benefits, some individuals may become excessively preoccupied with exercise, endorsing features akin to "addiction." The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between problematic exercise (viewed dimensionally), quality of life, and psychological measures.
methodsYoung adults were recruited from an established population-based cohort in the United Kingdom and completed an online survey. The factor structure of the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) was characterized. Relationships between dimensional EAI factor scores and other variables (impulsivity, compulsivity, emotional dysregulation) were elicited.
resultsSix hundred and forty-two individuals took part in the study (mean age 23.4 years, 64.7% female). The EAI yielded two factors - a "general factor" and a "relationship conflict factor." Both EAI factor scores were associated with disordered eating, impulsivity (UPPS), and compulsivity (CHI-T). Only the relationship conflict factor score was significantly associated with impaired quality of life (all domains) and with maladaptive personality traits (emotional dysregulation and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits). Few participants met conventional threshold for full exercise addiction (1.1%).
conclusionHigher problematic exercise scores, in a sample largely free from exercise addiction, were associated with impulsive and compulsive personality features, emotional dysregulation, and disordered eating. Further research is needed to examine whether these results generalize to other populations (such as gym attendees) and are evident using more rigorous in-person clinical assessment rather than online assessment. Longitudinal research is needed to examine both positive and negative impacts of exercise, since moderate exercise may, in fact, be useful for those with impulsive/compulsive tendencies, by dampening negative emotional states or substituting for other more damaging types of repetitive habit.
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Registered trials
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.