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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Preferred intensity exercise for adolescents receiving treatment for depression: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial

Authors: Tim Carter, Boliang Guo, David Turner, Ioannis Morres, Elizabeth Khalil, Emily Brighton, Marie Armstrong, Patrick Callaghan

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Background

Exercise has been shown to be effective in treating depression, but trials testing the effect of exercise for depressed adolescents utilising mental health services are rare. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a preferred intensity exercise intervention on the depressive symptoms of adolescents with depression.

Methods

We randomly assigned 87 adolescents who were receiving treatment for depression to either 12 sessions of aerobic exercise at preferred intensity alongside treatment as usual or treatment as usual only. The primary outcome was depressive symptom change using the Children’s Depression Inventory 2nd Version (CDI-2) at post intervention. Secondary outcomes were health-related quality of life and physical activity rates. Outcomes were taken at baseline, post intervention and at six month follow up.

Results

CDI-2 score reduction did not differ significantly between groups at post-intervention (est. 95 % CI −6.82, 1.68, p = 0.23). However, there was a difference in CDI-2 score reduction at six month follow-up in favour of the intervention of −4.81 (est. 95 % CI −9.49, −0.12, p = 0.03). Health-related quality of life and physical activity rates did not differ significantly between groups at post-intervention and follow-up.

Conclusions

There was no additional effect of preferred intensity exercise alongside treatment as usual on depressive reduction immediately post intervention. However, effects were observed at six months post-intervention, suggesting a delayed response. However, further trials, with larger samples are required to determine the validity of this finding.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01474837, March 16 2011
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Metadata
Title
Preferred intensity exercise for adolescents receiving treatment for depression: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial
Authors
Tim Carter
Boliang Guo
David Turner
Ioannis Morres
Elizabeth Khalil
Emily Brighton
Marie Armstrong
Patrick Callaghan
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-015-0638-z

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