SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2026
Effects of exercise on anxiety and psychiatric comorbidities in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The psychosocial and mental health benefits of aquatic physical activity for individuals with disabilities: a systematic review from a sport psychology perspective.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Exercise as an Adjunctive Lifestyle Intervention for Psychiatric Comorbidities in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- From risk to resilience: a narrative overview of modifiable factors influencing anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (part II).Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Anxiety disorders affect nearly 40%-50% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While exercise benefits motor skills, its efficacy in modulating affective symptoms remains under-synthesized. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of exercise on anxiety and co-occurring symptoms in pediatric ASD. Methods: We analyzed data from 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 482 participants. A three-level random effects model was utilized to account for effect size dependencies. Subgroup analyses examined the exercise modality and intensity. Results: Exercise significantly reduced comorbid anxiety (Hedges' Conclusions: Exercise, particularly aerobic interventions, serves as a potent non-pharmacological strategy for the management of anxiety and affective dysregulation in children with ASD. These findings support the integration of aerobic exercise into clinical treatment plans to improve emotional wellbeing. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420251157119.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.