Citation

Stein PN, Motta RW. Percept. Mot. Skills 1992; 74(1): 79-89.

Affiliation

Psychology Department, Monroe Hall, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11550.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1561044

Abstract

The effects of aerobic and nonaerobic exercise on depression and self-concept were investigated in a pretest-posttest control group design. 89 undergraduates engaged in the aerobic exercise of swimming, the nonaerobic exercise of weight training, or a control, Introductory Psychology class. Dependent measures were the Beck Depression Inventory, Depression Adjective Check Lists, Tennessee Self-concept Scale, and Cooper's 12 Minute Swim. Analysis indicated that both the aerobic and nonaerobic groups were equally effective in significantly reducing self-reported depression in comparison to the controls. The nonaerobic condition was superior to the aerobic condition for enhancing self-concept. These results contradict earlier findings suggesting that only aerobic types of exercise yield psychological benefit but are consistent with more recent findings showing the psychological benefit of nonaerobic exercise.

Language: en