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Physical Exercise and Mental Health: The Routes of a Reciprocal Relation

Author

Listed:
  • Chiara Fossati

    (Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy)

  • Guglielmo Torre

    (Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy)

  • Sebastiano Vasta

    (Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy)

  • Arrigo Giombini

    (Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy)

  • Federico Quaranta

    (Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy)

  • Rocco Papalia

    (Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy)

  • Fabio Pigozzi

    (Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Sport participation and exercise practice are considered to be beneficial for mental status, yielding an improved mood and better quality of life. On the other hand, good mental fitness is thought to lead to better physical status and sport performance. The key aim of this narrative review is to provide an unstructured overview on the topic with special considerations on the role of mental and physical health to summarize the evidence on their reciprocal influence. While very few papers describe the role of mental health measures in affecting physical performance, more evidence is available concerning the effect of exercise and sport in improving mental health outcomes. Furthermore, there is a consistent role of depressive and anxiety symptoms in influencing the risk of sport injury in either recreational or elite athletes. Moreover, the importance of investigating mental health issues in elite and retired athletes is highlighted. On the basis of the available literature, several biases were found to affect the provided evidence mainly because of the complexity of a proper study design in this field.

Suggested Citation

  • Chiara Fossati & Guglielmo Torre & Sebastiano Vasta & Arrigo Giombini & Federico Quaranta & Rocco Papalia & Fabio Pigozzi, 2021. "Physical Exercise and Mental Health: The Routes of a Reciprocal Relation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-10, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:23:p:12364-:d:686998
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Falonn Contreras-Osorio & Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo & Enrique Cerda-Vega & Rodrigo Campos-Jara & Cristian Martínez-Salazar & Rafael E. Reigal & Antonio Hernández-Mendo & Lara Carneiro & Christian Campo, 2022. "Effects of Physical Exercise on Executive Function in Adults with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-22, November.
    2. Charlier, Dorothée & Legendre, Bérangère, 2024. "Fuel poverty and mental health in a COVID-19 context," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    3. Chanté Johannes & Nicolette V. Roman & Sunday O. Onagbiye & Simone Titus & Lloyd L. Leach, 2024. "Relationship between Psychosocial Factors and Physical Activity among Undergraduate Students from a South African University," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(4), pages 1-20, April.
    4. Tao Wang & Zhiying Yao & Qianqian Liu & Jingjing Zhao & Xinting Wang & Josephine Pui-Hing Wong & Mandana Vahabi & Cunxian Jia, 2023. "The Mediating Effect of Stress between Extracurricular Activities and Suicidal Ideation in Chinese College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-11, February.
    5. Caroll Hermann & Melanie Govender, 2022. "eHealth Engagement on Facebook during COVID-19: Simplistic Computational Data Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Jiahui Dong & Lin Mo & Yan Shi & Dongsheng Lu & Chen Guo & Zicheng Wan & Bingjun Wan, 2023. "Effects of the Policy of Physical Education Entrance Examination for Senior High School on Health in Middle School Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.

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