Abstract
Mood deterioration in response to exercise cessation is well documented, but moderators of this effect remain unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that physically active individuals with higher levels of cognitive vulnerability (i.e., tendencies toward negative thought content and processes in response to stress or negative mood states) are at greater risk for increased anxiety and depressive symptoms when undergoing exercise cessation. Community adults meeting recommended physical activity guidelines (N = 36) participated in a 4-week prospective, longitudinal study with 2 weeks each of maintained exercise and exercise cessation. Cognitive vulnerability measures included dysfunctional attitudes, brooding rumination, and cognitive reactivity (i.e., change in dysfunctional attitudes over a dysphoric mood induction). Anxiety and depression symptoms increased during exercise cessation. Brooding emerged as a risk factor for increases in tension scores on the Profile of Mood States–Brief during exercise cessation. Future studies should explore brooding as a mediator (i.e., potential mechanism) of exercise-induced mood deterioration.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 215-233 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2024 |
Funding
This research was supported by an intramural grant from the University of Vermont\u2019s Department of Psychological Science to Maggie Evans. Meyerhoff was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (T32 MH115882). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Keywords
- brooding
- cognitive processes
- exercise withdrawal
- rumination
- vulnerability-stress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology