A recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics have unveiled the significant mental health benefits associated with physical activity interventions for children and adolescents diagnosed with various neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).
The study, led by researchers aiming to explore alternative evidence-based approaches to enhance mental health outcomes, focused on NDDs encompassing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, specific learning disorder, communication disorders, and motor disorders.
The investigation, covering a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders under the NDD umbrella, aimed to evaluate the impact of physical activity interventions on overall mental health, including psychological well-being, internalizing and externalizing problems, and cognitive function in children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years.
A comprehensive search, including databases such as Web of Science, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, and ERIC, identified relevant studies published up to May 2023. The systematic review included both nonrandomized studies and randomized clinical trials that investigated the effects of physical activity on mental health in children and adolescents diagnosed with NDDs.
The results of the meta-analysis, which involved 76 studies featuring 3007 patients (with 59 used for the meta-analysis), demonstrated significant mental health benefits associated with physical activity interventions. The positive effects were observed across various domains, including overall mental health, cognitive functioning, psychological well-being, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems.
The pooled effect sizes indicated moderate to large positive effects, with cognitive function, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems showing substantial improvement. Cognitive functioning, including cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory, high-level executive function, and complex attention, exhibited moderate to large positive effects. Internalizing problems, including anxiety and depression, also demonstrated substantial positive effects. Externalizing problems, covering conduct disorders and oppositional defiant disorders, exhibited moderate positive effects.
The study findings suggest that physical activity interventions could serve as an alternative or adjunctive evidence-based approach to enhance overall mental health in children and adolescents with NDDs. The authors concluded that while these interventions may be beneficial across the broad spectrum of NDDs, tailoring interventions based on specific mental health domains may be warranted for more targeted benefits.
