IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i2p739-d481552.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Tridirectional Relationship among Physical Activity, Stress, and Academic Performance in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Kathrin Wunsch

    (Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
    Authors contributed equally to the manuscript.)

  • Janis Fiedler

    (Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
    Authors contributed equally to the manuscript.)

  • Philip Bachert

    (Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
    Authors contributed equally to the manuscript.)

  • Alexander Woll

    (Institute of Sports and Sports Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany)

Abstract

Higher education students often suffer from physiological and psychological health problems caused by stress, which may negatively impact their academic performance (AP). Physical activity (PA) can be a promising strategy to buffer these stress-induced complaints. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to summarize evidence for the tridimensional construct of PA, stress, and AP, as well as to quantify the relationships among these variables. Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, SMEI, ERIC, and Web of Science) were systematically searched in November 2019 for publications that examined PA, stress, and AP of university students, without any restrictions regarding the publication period. The systematic review includes four original research studies with a moderate-to-high risk of bias. Results of included studies were narratively summarized and quantified in a meta-analysis using random effect models. Whereas study results point to a positive relation between PA and AP, relationships between PA and stress seem to be negative, while the relation between stress and AP is undecided. The meta-analysis found no significant associations and considerable heterogeneity of the results. Findings indicate a research gap concerning the connection of PA, stress, and AP in university students. Future studies should use validated measuring tools and consider the timepoint of data collection in order to extract truly stressful periods.

Suggested Citation

  • Kathrin Wunsch & Janis Fiedler & Philip Bachert & Alexander Woll, 2021. "The Tridirectional Relationship among Physical Activity, Stress, and Academic Performance in University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:739-:d:481552
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/739/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/739/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sumaira Kayani & Tayyaba Kiyani & Jin Wang & María Luisa Zagalaz Sánchez & Saima Kayani & Haroona Qurban, 2018. "Physical Activity and Academic Performance: The Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem and Depression," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    2. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    3. Viechtbauer, Wolfgang, 2010. "Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 36(i03).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Emilie Schmits & Sarah Dekeyser & Olivier Klein & Olivier Luminet & Vincent Yzerbyt & Fabienne Glowacz, 2021. "Psychological Distress among Students in Higher Education: One Year after the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-10, July.
    2. Julia Pfisterer & Constantin Rausch & Doreen Wohlfarth & Philip Bachert & Darko Jekauc & Kathrin Wunsch, 2022. "Effectiveness of Physical-Activity-Based Interventions Targeting Overweight and Obesity among University Students—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-23, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Piers Steel & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Herman Aguinis, 2021. "The anatomy of an award-winning meta-analysis: Recommendations for authors, reviewers, and readers of meta-analytic reviews," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(1), pages 23-44, February.
    2. Mahesh Shumsher Rughooputh & Rui Zeng & Ying Yao, 2015. "Protein Diet Restriction Slows Chronic Kidney Disease Progression in Non-Diabetic and in Type 1 Diabetic Patients, but Not in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials ," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Christopher Winchester & Kelsey E. Medeiros, 2023. "In Bounds but Out of the Box: A Meta-Analysis Clarifying the Effect of Ethicality on Creativity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(3), pages 713-743, March.
    4. Kelly R Moran & Sara Y Del Valle, 2016. "A Meta-Analysis of the Association between Gender and Protective Behaviors in Response to Respiratory Epidemics and Pandemics," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(10), pages 1-25, October.
    5. Sandra Feijóo & Raquel Rodríguez-Fernández, 2021. "A Meta-Analytical Review of Gender-Based School Bullying in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Xizheng Xu & Zhiqiang Liu & Shaoying Gong & Yunpeng Wu, 2022. "The Relationship between Empathy and Attachment in Children and Adolescents: Three-Level Meta-Analyses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-18, January.
    7. Alan da Silveira Fleck & Margaux L. Sadoine & Stéphane Buteau & Eva Suarthana & Maximilien Debia & Audrey Smargiassi, 2021. "Environmental and Occupational Short-Term Exposure to Airborne Particles and FEV 1 and FVC in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-19, October.
    8. Evangelos Danopoulos & Maureen Twiddy & Jeanette M Rotchell, 2020. "Microplastic contamination of drinking water: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, July.
    9. Claudia Menne-Lothmann & Wolfgang Viechtbauer & Petra Höhn & Zuzana Kasanova & Simone P Haller & Marjan Drukker & Jim van Os & Marieke Wichers & Jennifer Y F Lau, 2014. "How to Boost Positive Interpretations? A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Cognitive Bias Modification for Interpretation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-26, June.
    10. José Felipe Orzuna-Orzuna & Juan Eduardo Godina-Rodríguez & Jonathan Raúl Garay-Martínez & Guillermo Reséndiz-González & Santiago Joaquín-Cancino & Alejandro Lara-Bueno, 2024. "Milk Yield, Composition, and Fatty Acid Profile in Milk of Dairy Cows Supplemented with Microalgae Schizochytrium sp.: A Meta-Analysis," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-13, July.
    11. Wei-Cheng Chang & Chin Lin & Cho-Hao Lee & Tzu-Ling Sung & Tao-Hsin Tung & Jorn-Hon Liu, 2017. "Vitrectomy with or without internal limiting membrane peeling for idiopathic epiretinal membrane: A meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, June.
    12. Christopher Hansen & Holger Steinmetz & Jörn Block, 2022. "How to conduct a meta-analysis in eight steps: a practical guide," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(1), pages 1-19, February.
    13. Shaylea Badovinac & Jodi Martin & Camille Guérin-Marion & Monica O’Neill & Rebecca Pillai Riddell & Jean-François Bureau & Rebecca Spiegel, 2018. "Associations between mother-preschooler attachment and maternal depression symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-27, October.
    14. Fazel, Seena & Burghart, Matthias & Fanshawe, Thomas & Gil, Sharon Danielle & Monahan, John & Yu, Rongqin, 2022. "The predictive performance of criminal risk assessment tools used at sentencing: Systematic review of validation studies," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    15. Amro Qaddoura & Payam Yazdan-Ashoori & Conrad Kabali & Lehana Thabane & R Brian Haynes & Stuart J Connolly & Harriette Gillian Christine Van Spall, 2015. "Efficacy of Hospital at Home in Patients with Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-15, June.
    16. Boshra H. Namin & Torvald Øgaard & Jo Røislien, 2021. "Workplace Incivility and Turnover Intention in Organizations: A Meta-Analytic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, December.
    17. Ruohuang Jiao & Wojtek Przepiorka & Vincent Buskens, 2022. "Moderators of reputation effects in peer-to-peer online markets: a meta-analytic model selection approach," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1041-1067, May.
    18. Pedro Silva Moreira & Pedro R Almeida & Hugo Leite-Almeida & Nuno Sousa & Patrício Costa, 2016. "Impact of Chronic Stress Protocols in Learning and Memory in Rodents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(9), pages 1-24, September.
    19. Romain Cadario & Pierre Chandon, 2020. "Which Healthy Eating Nudges Work Best? A Meta-Analysis of Field Experiments," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(3), pages 465-486, May.
    20. repec:cup:judgdm:v:17:y:2022:i:4:p:720-744 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Tyler Blazey & Abraham Z Snyder & Manu S Goyal & Andrei G Vlassenko & Marcus E Raichle, 2018. "A systematic meta-analysis of oxygen-to-glucose and oxygen-to-carbohydrate ratios in the resting human brain," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-14, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:739-:d:481552. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.