A recent systematic review published in Frontiers in Psychology has investigated the effects of different exercise types on depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. The study analyzed data from 17 high-quality studies involving 1,357 young participants.
The results showed that resistance training (RT) was significantly more effective than aerobic training (AT) and combined aerobic-resistance training (AT+RT) in reducing depressive symptoms. Specifically, RT was found to have a significant negative effect size (-0.52), while AT had an effect size of -0.40 and AT+RT had an effect size of -0.30.
The study also revealed that exercising for 20-30 minutes per session, three times a week, over a 6-8 week period, yielded the most significant reductions in depressive symptoms. This duration and frequency of exercise were found to have a negative effect size (-0.74).
Overall, the findings suggest that resistance training is the most effective approach for reducing depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. The study recommends that young people participate in physical activity at least three times weekly for 6-8 weeks, with each session lasting 20-30 minutes.
This research has significant implications for the prevention and treatment of depression in children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of incorporating resistance training into exercise programs.
Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1632111/abstract