THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF EXERCISE AND NEUROSTIMULATION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

Shaine Henert, Chris Hill, Benjamin Connors, Juan Navarro, Grace Louis

Abstract


Concern for college students’ mental health has grown recently as rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation have risen. Although exercise has been shown to improve one’s mental health, few young adults engage in sufficient regular exercise to achieve these benefits. Identifying innovative strategies to maintain emotional well-being would help support the mental health of young adults. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to examine the comparative effects of acute moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and transdermal nerve stimulation (TNS) on one’s perceptions of emotional well-being. Twenty-two, healthy, physically active, college-age individuals participated in the study. A within-subjects crossover design was used to compare participants’ ratings of positive and negative affect using the PANAS. Ratings of positive affect were significantly higher in the exercise compared to the control condition, but only slightly higher than the TNS condition. There were no significant differences in ratings of negative affect. This supports previous research that acute exercise promotes emotional well-being. It also provides preliminary support for the innovative use of neurostimulation to enhance one’s emotional well-being. More research is needed to better understand the efficacy and practicality of using neurostimulation as a complement to exercise to support college students’ emotional well-being.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


college students, affect, emotional well-being, exercise, neurostimulation

Full Text:

PDF

References


Borg, G. (1998). Borg’s perceived exertion and pain scales. Human Kinetics.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, May). Physical activity. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/index.html.

Chow, S.C. & Liu, J.P. (2009). Design and analysis of bioavailability and bioequivalence studies (3rd ed). Chapman & Hall/CRC.

Cook, I.A., Abrams, M., & Leuchter, A.F. (2016). Trigeminal nerve stimulation for comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder. Neuromodulation, 19(3), 299-305. https://doi.org?10.1111/ner.12399

Cook I.A., Schrader, L.M., DeGiorgio, C.M., Miller, P.R., Maremont, E.R., & Leuchter, A.F. (2013). Trigeminal nerve stimulation in major depressive disorder: Acute outcomes in an open pilot study. Epilepsy Behavior, 28(2), 221-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2013.05.008

Crabbe, J.B., Smith J.C., & Dishman, R.K. Emotional & electroencephalographic responses during affective picture viewing after exercise. Physiology & Behavior, 90(2-3), 394-404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.10.001

Crawford, J.R., Henry, J.D. (2004). The positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS): Construct validity, measurement properties and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43(3), 245-265. https://doi.org/10.1348/0144665031752934

Daley, A. & Welch, A. (2004). The effects of 15 min and 30 min of exercise on affective responses both during and after exercise. Journal of Sport Sciences, 22(7), 621-628. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410310001655778

deMoor, M.H.M., Beem, A.L., Stubbe, J.H., Boomsma, D.I., & De Geus, E.J.C. (2006). Regular exercise, anxiety, depression and personality: A population-based study. Preventive Medicine, 42(4), 273-279. https://doi.org10.1016/j.ypmed.2005.12.002

Diener, E., Emmons, R.A., Larsen, R.J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13

Dishman, R.K., Sui, X., Church, T.S., Hand, G.A., Trivedi, M.H., & Blair, S.N. (2012). Decline in cardiorespiratory fitness and odds of Incident Depression. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 43(4), 361-368. https://doi.org10.1016/j.amepre.2012.06.011

Ekkekakis P. (2008). Affect, mood, and emotion. In G. Tenenbaum, R.C. Eklund, R.C., & A.

Kamata (Eds.) Measurement in Sport and Exercise Psychology (pp. 321-332). Human Kinetics.

Ekkekakis, P., Hall, E.E., VanLanduyt, L.M., & Petruzzello, S.J. (2000). Walking in (affective) circles: Can short walks enhance affect? Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23(3), 245-275. https://doi/10.1023/a:1005558025163

Ensari, I., Greenlee, T.A., Motl, R.W., & Petruzzello, S.J. (2015). Meta-analysis of acute exercise effects on state anxiety: An update of randomized controlled trials over the past 25 years. Depression & Anxiety, 32(8), 624-634. https://doi.org//10.1002/da.22370

Fox, S.M., Naughton, J.P., & Haskell, W.L. (1971). Physical activity and the prevention of coronary heart disease. Annals of Clinical Research, 3, 404–432.

Garcia-Rill, E., Luster, B., Mahaffey, S., Bisagno, V., & Urbano, F.J. (2015). Pedunculopontine arousal system physiology – implications for insomnia. Sleep Science, 8(2), 92-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.slsci.2015.06.002

Hansen, C.J., Stevens, L.C., & Coast, J.R. (2001). Exercise duration and mood state: How much is enough to feel better? Health Psychology, 20(4), 267-275. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.20.4.267

Harvey, S.B., Øverland, S., Hatch, S.L., Wessely, S., Mykletun, A., & Hotopf, M. (2018). Exercise and the prevention of depression: Results of the hunt cohort study. American Journal Psychiatry, 175(1), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16111223

Jerstad, S.J., Boutelle, K.N., Ness, K.K., & Stice, E. (2010). Prospective reciprocal relations between physical activity and depression in female adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2), 268-272. https://doi.org10.1037/a0018793

Jones, B. & Kenward, M.G. Design and Analysis of Cross-Over Trials (3rd ed). Chapman & Hall/CRC.

Koek, R.J., Roach, J., Athanasiou, N., van’t Wout-Frank, M., & Philip, N.S. (2019). Neuromodulatory treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 92, 148-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.01.004

Kurdi, B., Lozano, S., & Banaji, M.R. (2016). Introducing the open affective standardized image set (OASIS). Behavior Research Methods, 49(2), 457-470. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-016-0715-3

Liao, Y., Shonkoff, E.T., & Dunton, GF. (2015). The acute relationships between affect, physical feeling states, and physical activity in daily life: A review of current evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1975. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01975

Liguori, G. (2021). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

Mack, D.L., DaSilva, A.W., Rogers, C., et al. (2021). Mental health and behavior of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal mobile smartphone and ecological momentary assessment study, part II. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(6), e28892. https://doi.org/10.2196/28892

McDowell, C.P., Dishman, R.K., Hallgren, M., MacDonncha, C., & Herring, M.P. (2018). Associations of physical activity and depression: Results from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Experimental Gerontology,112, 68-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2018.09.004

Monaco, A., Cattaneo, R., Ortu, E., Constantinescu, M.V., & Pietropaoli. D. (2017). Sensory trigeminal Ulf-tens stimulation reduces HRV response to experimentally induced arithmetic stress: A randomized clinical trial. Physiology & Behavior, 173, 209-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.02.014

Motl, R.W., Birnbaum, A.S., Kubik, M.Y., & Dishman, R.K. (2004). Naturally occurring changes in physical activity are inversely related to depressive symptoms during early adolescence. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66(3), 336-342. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-200405000-00008

Peirce, J. W. (2007). Psychopy—Psychophysics Software in python. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 162(1-2), 8-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2006.11.017

Petruzzello, S.J., Landers, D.M., Hatfield, B.D., Kubitz, K.A., & Salazar, W. (1991). A meta-analysis on the anxiety-reducing effects of acute and chronic exercise. Sports Medicine, 11(3), 143-182. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199111030-00002

Pinto Pereira, S.M., Geoffroy, M.C., & Power, C. (2014). Depressive symptoms and physical activity during 3 decades in adult life. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(12), 1373-1380. https://doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.1240

Reed J. (2013). Effect of acute and regular aerobic physical activity on positive activated affect. In P. Ekkekakis, D. B. Cook, L. L. Craft, S. N. Culos-Reed, J. L. Etnier, M. Hamer, K. A. Martin Ginis, J. Reed, J. A. J. Smits, & M. Ussher (Eds.), Routledge handbook of physical activity and mental health (pp. 413–421). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Reed, J. & Henert, S. (2009). Post-exercise affective responses in sedentary African American females. Journal of Sport Behavior, 2(3), 357-375.

Reed, J. & Ones, D.S. (2006). The effect of acute aerobic exercise on positive activated affect: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 7(5), 477-514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2005.11.003

Senn S. (2002). Cross-over trials in clinical research (2nd ed). John Wiley & Sons.

Shiozawa, P., Duailibi, M.S., da Silva, M.E., & Cordeiro, Q. (2014). Trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) protocol for treating major depression: An open-label proof-of-concept trial. Epilepsy Behavior, 39, 6-9. https://doi.org10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.07.021

Stonerock, G.L., Hoffman, B.M., Smith, P.J., & Blumenthal, J.A. (2015). Exercise as treatment for anxiety: Systematic review and analysis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 49(4), 542-556. https://doi.org?10.1007/s12160-014-9685-9

United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services. (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report, 2018: To the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Watson, D., Clark, L.A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063-1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v11i1.5359

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2024 Shaine Henert, Chris Hill, Benjamin Connors, Juan Navarro, Grace Louis

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2015 - 2023. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science (ISSN 2501 - 1235) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.


This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).