OOIR: Observatory of International Research

Papers

(The median citation count of Mental Health and Physical Activity is 3. The table below lists those papers that are above that threshold based on CrossRef citation counts [max. 250 papers]. The publications cover those that have been published in the past four years, i.e., from 2022-08-01 to 2026-08-01.)

Article	Citations
Effects of an exercise theory-based intervention program on craving during the early stage of adults' SUD treatment	47
Physical activity is linked to fewer psychosomatic problems in adolescents with ADHD symptoms	40
The moderating role of different lifestyle domains in the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms in brazilian university students	39
High-intensity interval training in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled pilot trial	35
Psychosocial health concerns and physical activity in adults with epilepsy: Cross-sectional analysis from 2022 National Health Interview Survey	34
A short-medium time point evaluation of active breaks on selective and sustained attention in primary school: a pilot quasi-experimental study	31
Corrigendum to “Neurobiological mechanisms for the antidepressant effects of mind-body and physical exercises: A systematic review” [Mental Health and Physical Activity (2023) 100538]	31
Thriving families: The feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a multi-component physical literacy program for children with neurodevelopmental, emotional, or behavioural problems	30
Getting active through mindfulness: Randomised controlled trial of a digital mindfulness-based intervention promoting physical activity engagement and enjoyment	29
The SPACES feasibility trial: A co-produced physical activity intervention for people with severe mental illness	28
Context matters: A review of reviews examining the effects of contextual factors in physical activity interventions on mental health and wellbeing	26
The momentary relationship between physical activity behaviour and mental well-being of vocational education and training students	25
Physical activity and mental health: Comparing between-person and within-person associations in longitudinal analysis	24
Use of physical activity as a coping strategy mediates the association between adolescent team sports participation and emerging adult mental health	22
Impact of a web-based personally tailored physical activity intervention on depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life: Secondary outcomes from a randomized controlled trial	21
Joint associations between physical activity, screen time, and common mental disorders in Brazilian adolescents: Findings from ERICA	21
Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between parental mental wellbeing and adolescents’ physical activity, sedentary digital media use, and body mass index	20
Associations between different types of sedentary behavior and mental health: Gender-stratified analyses among 97,171 South Korean adolescents	20
Physical activity during a treatment for substance use disorder: A qualitative study	19
The long-term effect of surf therapy on posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety symptomology among current and former australian defence force members - A nonrandomised controlled longitudinal s	18
Effect of 12 sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on depressive symptoms among high-school students: a cluster-randomized trial	18
Exploring the Effectiveness of Digital Mind-Body Exercise Interventions on Anxiety, Depression, Stress and Quality of Life in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis	18
Aquatic training and sleep quality, depressive symptoms and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes: Diabetes and Aquatic Training Study (DATS2)- A Randomized Controlled Trial	18
The concurrent validity of the physical activity vital sign and online physical activity logbook in adolescents with autism	17
The interplay of depression symptoms and physical activity: Bidirectional insights from 25-years of the Americans' changing lives panel	17

Adaptation of the subjective effort induction scale (SEIS-3) for strength training: A clinical application for older adults with dementia syndrome	16
Differential associations of mentally-active and passive sedentary behaviours and physical activity with putative cognitive decline in healthy individuals and those with bipolar disorder: Findings fro	16
Physical activity following discharge from inpatient adult mental health settings: Interest-holder perspectives	16
Enhancing young children's executive function through physical activities: A three-level meta-analysis	15
Feasibility and effects of high-intensity interval training for improving depressive symptoms in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies	15
Moving the body or watching the screen: 20-minute exercise modulates brain activity and enhances cognitive performance in younger and older male adults	15
Acute and protocol-dependent effects of aerobic exercise on neurobiochemical indices and neuropsychological performance of working memory	14
Investigating psychosocial and behavioural mediators of the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in women from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods	14
Time spent in physical activities, TV watching and sleep and its association with executive functioning in middle age and older adults: An isotemporal substitution analysis	13
Editorial Board	13
The prospective association between physical activity and initiation of current substance use among adolescents: Examining the role of school connectedness	13
Barriers & facilitators to physical activity in people with depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Pakistan: A qualitative study to explore perspectives of patient participants, carers and hea	13
Associations between depressive symptoms and sedentary behaviors in parent-child Dyads: Longitudinal effects within- and across- person	13
Social support for physical activity in community-dwelling adults with serious mental Illness: Latent profile analysis and correlates	12
Physical activity and wellbeing: Domain specific associations demonstrating the importance of leisure-time activity in Aotearoa New Zealand	12
Latent profile analysis of mental health in postgraduates: The impact of mentally-passive or active screen time and sedentary behaviors	11
The moderating influence of social cognition in the relationship between affect and physical activity in adolescents: An ecological momentary assessment study	11
Functional connectivity mediates the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and stress in midlife.	11
Physical activity levels and sedentary behavior in people who have experienced gender-based violence: A systematic review	10
Acute effects of moderate-to-high intensity resistance exercise compared to a low-intensity sham attention-control on anxiety related outcomes in young women: A randomized controlled trial	10
Exercise preferences among women survivors of sexual violence by PTSD and physical activity level: Implications and recommendations for trauma-informed practice	10
Neurobiological mechanisms for the antidepressant effects of mind-body and physical exercises: A systematic review	10
Capoeira and brain function: Hypotheses and perspectives from a systematic review	9
The efficacy of physical activity to improve the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers: A systematic review	9
Ecological momentary assessment of physical activity and affective responses in healthy adults: a scoping review	9
Effects of different exercise patterns on drug craving in female methamphetamine-dependent patients: Evidence from behavior and fNIRS	9
Eight-week Chinese mind-body exercise improves the inhibition of negative emotion	9
Improving health behaviors and symptoms in youth with mental health disorders: The GamerFit RCT	8
Maternal and paternal pathways linking health literacy, physical activity, and BMI to adolescent physical activity and mental health: A structural equation modeling study	8
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Spanish version of the Exercise and Eating Disorders Questionnaire	8
Effects of a 6-week at-home exercise intervention on psychological and physical indicators of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Secondary analysis of a pragmatic randomized trial	8
The effect of replacing sedentary behaviour with different intensities of physical activity on depression: A meta-analysis of isotemporal substitution studies	8
Effectiveness of a non-conventional physical activity intervention on lifestyle indicators in adults with depressive symptoms: a randomized clinical trial	8
Combining the behaviour change wheel framework with a co-design approach to develop an outpatient physical activity intervention for adolescents with depression: a blueprint	8
Barriers and facilitators of evidence-based exercise therapy as adjunct treatment for major depressive disorder in specialized mental health care	8
The longitudinal relationship among physical activity, loneliness, and mental health in middle-aged and older adults: Results from the Edad con Salud cohort	8
Beyond total physical activity: Exploring whether between-day patterns are associated with mental health in adolescents	8
Domains matter: Cross-sectional associations between mental well-being and domain specific physical activity and sedentary behaviour in n=31,818 adults in Scotland	8
A grounded theory of weight lifting as a healing strategy for trauma	7
Prospective associations between physical activity and internalizing/externalizing problems in preterm youth across 7 years	7
Associations between type and timing of sedentary behaviour and affect in adolescents: An ecological momentary assessment study	7
Co-development of the ‘Move More’ toolkit: A theoretically informed resource to support physical activity promotion and participation within secure psychiatric care	7
Linking socio-behavioral health and accelerometer wear time in caregiver–preschooler dyads: The moderating role of coping strategies	7
Exercise types for efficacy and adherence in adolescents and young adults with depression: A systematic review with network meta-analysis	7
The timing or accumulation of physical activity during adolescence: which better predicts positive mental health and quality of life in early adulthood?	7
Anxiety sensitivity and physical activity are inversely related: A meta-analytic review	7
Implementing sport and physical activity across each layer of the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) pyramid for populations affected by displacement	7
Together towards better executive functions? Effects of acute cognitively demanding physical activity and social interaction on inhibition	7
Association between lifestyle behaviors and depression in 90.846 Brazilian adults: A cluster analysis	7
Interrupting sitting with moderate-intensity physical activity breaks improves inhibitory control in adults with overweight and obesity: Findings from the SITLess pilot randomized crossover trial	7

Evaluation of a trauma-informed physical activity intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and wellbeing in trauma-affected refugees: a randomized controlled trial	7
Barriers and facilitators to increasing physical activity in medium secure mental health settings: An exploration of staff perceptions	7
Effect of interactive exergame training on physical fitness and executive function among men with substance use disorder in rehabilitation center	7
Activity patterns associated with depression symptoms in retired day and night shift workers	6
Examining the (lack of) evidence on physical activity for paternal postnatal depression: A call to action	6
The role of physical exercise on the brain and cognitive functions of patients in recovery from substance use disorder: A narrative review and recommendations for researchers and practitioners	6
Effects of an eight-week yoga intervention on cognitive, mental, and autonomic function in female students with elevated stress: A randomized controlled trial protocol	6
24-Hour compositional data analysis on women's psychological health during the menopause transition	6
A difficulty based comparison of novel exergame balance training for cognitive functions in adults with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized trial	6
Is higher physical activity behaviour associated with less subsequent use of any psychotropic medication: Results of a random-effects meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies	6
Editorial Board	5
Together we move, together we improve? Investigating the role of social interaction in physical activity to enhance executive functions	5
An Act-Belong-Commit-based school intervention reduces suicidal ideation in adolescents: a pilot cluster-randomized trial from Uganda	5
Dose‒response effects of resistance exercise on ameliorating cravings and executive functions in individuals with methamphetamine use disorders	5
‘A spark to start’: Experiences of forcibly displaced individuals participating in a co-designed exercise and sport intervention	5
Walking the Black Dog: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of walking interventions on depressive symptom severity	5
“Triggered by the sound of other runners”: An exploration of parkrun mentions in mental health hospital records in the UK	5
One-year follow-up of a primary care-based 12-week exercise intervention for adults with anxiety disorders	5
Effects of acute exercise on prefrontal cortex oxygenation in substance use disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of fNIRS studies	5
Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines: Cognitive effects in Australian preschoolers	5
Cardiovascular health profile is favorably associated with brain health and neurocognitive development in adolescents	5
The longitudinal reciprocal association between depression and physical activity in old age: The role of lifetime cumulative adversity	5
Acute effect of different types of moderate intensity physical exercise on affective response and mood state in individuals with substance use disorder	5
Running toward substance use recovery: Does delay discounting mediate the relationship between physical activity and quality of life?	5
Effects of Tai Chi and conventional exercise on improving cognitive performance in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial	5
Linking social determinants of health to mental health, movement behaviors, and cognitive function among U.S. youth	5
Tendency to avoid physical activity mediates the association between perceived weight stigma and physical activity levels among university students	5
Project MOVE: A randomized controlled trial of interventions for initiating and maintaining physical activity in depressed individuals	4
Prospective associations between screen-based sedentary behaviors and cognitive performance among children aged 5–7 years	4
Corrigendum to “Investigating psychosocial and behavioural mediators of the relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in women from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods”	4
Acute cognitively challenging exercise as “cognitive booster” for children: Positive feedback matters!	4
The association between exercise and treatment seeking in college students diagnosed with substance use disorder	4
Prevalence of 24-hour movement behavior guidelines among youth with prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses and anxiety	4
Virtual group-based walking intervention for persons with schizophrenia: A pilot randomized controlled trial	4
Mental wellbeing and physical activity levels: A prospective cohort study	4
But that's who I Am: The inability to enact physical activity identity is associated with depression and anxiety symptoms	4
Nonlinear dose-response relationships between screen time–based sedentary behavior and depression in adolescents: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis	4
Editorial Board	4
Association between physical activity and mortality across levels of psychological stress and distress among Korean adults	4
Effects of virtual Reality-Based Training and aerobic training on gaming disorder, physical activity, physical fitness, and anxiety: A randomized, controlled trial	4
Effects of different exercise patterns on spatial and verbal working memory updating in women with methamphetamine use disorder	4
Exploring the long-term sustainability of lifestyle therapy for reducing depressive symptoms: A mixed methods study of the Curbing Anxiety and depression using Lifestyle Medicine (CALM) non-inferiorit	4
Participation in physical education classes and social isolation among adolescents: A harmonized analysis with 266,156 participants from 69 countries	4
The physical activity profiles of patients with persecutory delusions	4
Exercise snacks improve cognitive function and alleviate anxiety, depression, and stress in adolescents with childhood trauma	4
Exercise interventions ameliorate neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: A meta-analysis	4
Reciprocal associations between physical activity, physical self-concept, somatic symptoms, and depression from adolescence to young adulthood: Disaggregating within- and between-person effects	4
A whole systems approach to integrating physical activity to aid mental health recovery – Translating theory into practice	4
Fear of physical activity relates to cardiac interoception and symptom distress in patients with chronic heart failure	4
Fostering physical activity motivation at substance use disorder treatment facilities: A qualitative study grounded in self-determination theory	4
Effects of acute aerobic exercise with different intensities on cerebral dopamine/norepinephine/serotonin metabolites and executive-related oculomotor control in individuals with Parkinson's disease	3
Editorial Board	3
Non-exercise estimation of Cardiorespiratory fitness as a mediator in the relationship between physical comorbidity and depression among Korean cancer Survivors: Evidence from KNHANES 2016–2020	3
Effects of self-selected audiovisual stimuli on affective responses and cortical oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex during acute endurance exercise: An fNIRS study	3
Trajectories of physical function changes for older veterans with serious mental illness in a clinical exercise program	3
Editorial Board	3
Associations of physical activity and sedentary time with craving and mental health in individuals with alcohol use disorder	3
Promoting mental health in children and adolescents with disabilities through school-based physical activity intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic	3
Comparative effectiveness of mindfulness and physical exercise on rumination in patients with major depression: An integrated evaluation of an open label randomized trial	3
Association between light-intensity physical activity and health-related quality of life among students aged 9–14 years: A 5-year longitudinal assessment	3
Evidence level of physical exercise in the treatment of substance abuse/dependence: An overview of systematic reviews including 53 meta-analyses that comprised 103 distinct clinical trials	3
Acute effects of mind-body practices and exercise in depressed inpatients: A randomized clinical trial	3
24-Hour movement behaviors among visually impaired US children and adolescents	3
Interventions to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour in severe mental ill health: How effective are they?’- A systematic review	3
The benefits of physical exercise on state anxiety: Exploring possible mechanisms	3
Frequency of vigorous physical activity and depressive symptoms across adolescence: Disentangling the reciprocal associations between different groups and subtypes of symptoms	3
Contemplating movement: A randomized control trial of yoga training for mental health	3
Actigraphy estimated sleep moderates the relationship between physical activity and cognition in older adults	3
Effects of mindfulness training combined with aerobic exercise in people with methamphetamine use disorder: Evidence from sleep, brain activation, and cravings	3
Enhancing firefighters' mental health with exercise: Evaluating the effects of a 7-week long physical activity intervention on burnout and other well-being related constructs	3