Physical activity intensity and older adolescents’ stress : The ‘STress-Reactivity after Exercise in Senior Secondary EDucation’ (STRESSED) 3-arm randomised controlled trial
Smith, J. J., Beauchamp, M. R., Puterman, E., Leahy Angus, A., Valkenborghs, S. R., Wade, L., Chen, F., & Lubans, D. R. (2025). Physical activity intensity and older adolescents’ stress : The ‘STress-Reactivity after Exercise in Senior Secondary EDucation’ (STRESSED) 3-arm randomised controlled trial. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 76, Article 102754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102754
Published in
Psychology of Sport and ExerciseAuthors
Date
2025Copyright
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Objectives
Late adolescence (15-19 years) is a period of heightened susceptibility to stress, but regular physical activity may attenuate reactivity to stressors. We aimed to explore the effects of physical activity intensity on older adolescents’ stress-reactivity and self-reported mental health.
Design
and methods. Three-arm randomised controlled trial in New South Wales, Australia (April-June, 2021). Thirty-seven older adolescents (16.1±0.2 years, 59.5% female) were randomised to: i) non active control (CON), ii) light-intensity physical activity (LPA), or iii) moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Physical activity groups participated in 2 x 20-min sessions/week for 6 weeks. Salivary cortisol (sCort) reactivity to induced stress was assessed using the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups and quantified as area under the curve (sCortAUC; Primary outcome). Secondary outcomes included peak cortisol (sCortPeak), subjective-reactivity, perceived stress, and non-specific psychological distress. Group differences were assessed using multiple linear regression and quantified using Cohen’s d.
Results
No effects were observed for sCortAUC or sCortPeak and the pattern of effects for subjective-reactivity was inconsistent. Effects for self-reported mental health were also non-significant (p > .05 for all) but of meaningful magnitude, favouring LPA and MVPA over CON (d’s = -0.38 to -0.54). Delivery fidelity was high, satisfaction was moderate-to-high, and there was no evidence of harm. However, recruitment, retention for sCort measures, and adherence were lower than expected.
Conclusion
Suboptimal recruitment, retention, and adherence limited our ability to conclude on the effect of physical activity intensity on older adolescents’ sCort-reactivity to induced stress. We observed potentially meaningful effects on self-reported mental health irrespective of intensity, which could be confirmed in a future powered trial.
...
Publisher
ElsevierISSN Search the Publication Forum
1469-0292Keywords
Publication in research information system
https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/243321336
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
- Liikuntatieteiden tiedekunta [3151]
Additional information about funding
This project was supported by philanthropic funding administered by the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI).License
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Snacktivity™ to promote physical activity and reduce future risk of disease in the population : protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial and nested qualitative study
Daley, Amanda J.; Griffin, Ryan A.; Moakes, Catherine A.; Sanders, James P.; Skrybant, Magdalena; Ives, Natalie; Maylor, Ben; Greenfield, Sheila M.; Gokal, Kajal; Parretti, Helen M.; Biddle, Stuart J. H.; Greaves, Colin; Maddison, Ralph; Mutrie, Nanette; Esliger, Dale W.; Sherar, Lauren; Edwardson, Charlotte L.; Yates, Tom; Frew, Emma; Tearne, Sarah; Jolly, Kate (Biomed Central, 2023)Background Many people do not regularly participate in physical activity, which may negatively impact their health. Current physical activity guidelines are focused on promoting weekly accumulation of at least 150 min of ... -
The effects of a physical and cognitive training intervention vs. physical training alone on older adults’ physical activity : A randomized controlled trial with extended follow-up during COVID-19
Savikangas, Tiina; Törmäkangas, Timo; Tirkkonen, Anna; Alen, Markku; Fielding, Roger A.; Kivipelto, Miia; Rantalainen, Timo; Stigsdotter, Neely Anna; Sipilä, Sarianna (Public Library of Science, 2021)Background Executive functions underlie self-regulation and are thus important for physical activity and adaptation to new situations. The aim was to investigate, if yearlong physical and cognitive training (PTCT) had ... -
Effectiveness of Intervention Strategies to Increase Adolescents’ Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Time in Secondary School Settings, Including Factors Related to Implementation : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Contardo Ayala, Ana María; Parker, Kate; Mazzoli, Emiliano; Lander, Natalie; Ridgers, Nicola D.; Timperio, Anna; Lubans, David R.; Abbott, Gavin; Koorts, Harriet; Salmon, Jo (Springer, 2024)Background Globally, just one in five adolescents meet physical activity guidelines and three-quarters of the school day is spent sitting. It is unclear which types of school-based interventions strategies increase physical ... -
Effectiveness of a workplace physical exercise intervention on the functioning, work ability, and subjective well-being of office workers : a cluster randomised controlled cross-over trial with a one-year follow-up
Sjögren, Tuulikki (University of Jyväskylä, 2006)The main aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and the effects of workplace physical exercise intervention on physical and psychosocial functioning, work ability, and general subjective well-being. Dose of ... -
Digital Coaching among University Students with Low Levels of Physical Activity : A Quantitative Intervention Study on Exercise Self-efficacy
Kettunen, Eeva; Kari, Tuomas; Makkonen, Markus; Critchley, Will; Sell, Anna (University of Maribor, 2019)University aged people have been found to be at a high risk of disengagement of physical activity. They also belong to a generation where technology is strongly integrated into most parts of their lives. Therefore, using ...