The Effects of Aerobic Exercise Among Adolescents with Mild to Moderate

The Effects of Aerobic Exercise Among Adolescents with Mild to Moderate Depression Kaplan and Sadock (as cited in Brollier, Hamrick & Jacobson, 1994) stated that depression, during the teen years, has become an increasing area of concern in psychiatry (Kaplan & Sadock, 1991. Kashani, Carlson, Beck, Hoeper, Corcoran, McAllister, Fallahi, Rosenberg and Reid (as cited in Brollier, Hamrick ,& Jacobson, 1994) studied the prevalence of depression in adolescents and reported that approximately 8% of adolescents experienced depressive disorders. Kaplan and Sadock (as cited in Brollier et al., 1994) suggested that new forms of treatment are needed when dealing with adolescents because adolescents often do not respond well to medications, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychotherapy, which are used on adults. Exercise, or physical activity, of an aerobic nature has been widely used as part of the recommended medical treatment for many health problems, and the physiological health benefits associated with exercise have been well documented. Brown, Ramierez,, and Taub (as cited in Mihevic, 1982) have stated that within recent years, exercise has been increasingly used for the treatment of depression as well. The results of a study conducted by Maroulakis and Zerva (1993) have shown that all dimensions of mood were positively affected by exercise to a significant extent. They went further to say that exercise is the most important natural mood modulator. Many studies have been conducted which examine the effects of aerobic exercise on depression scores of normal adult patients, and adult patients with depression. One such study, conducted by McCann and Holmes (1984), concluded that participation in a program of strenuous aerobi... ... on mood of adult women. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 76, 795-801. McCann, I.L., & Holmes, D.S. (1984). Influence of aerobic exercise on depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1142-1147. Milhevic, P.M. (1982). Anxiety, depression and exercise. Quest, 33, 140-153. Norris, R., Carroll, D., & Cochrane, R. (1990). The effects of aerobic and anaerobic training on fitness, blood pressure, and psychological stress and well-being. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 34, 367-375. Norris, R., Carroll, D., & Cochrane, R. (1991). The effects of physical activity and exercise training on psychological stress and well-being in the adolescent population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 36, 55-65. Stein, P.N., & Motta, R.W. (1992). Effects of aerobic and nonaerobic exercise on depression and self-concept. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 74, 79-89.