Objective

Exercise is seen as a possible way to manage stress, yet causal evidence regarding the stress-buffer potential of exercise is still very limited. The present study experimentally tested the stress-buffer hypothesis of exercise by examining whether participation in an aerobic exercise training program reduces the detrimental effects of stress on health.

Methods

A total of 149 healthy and insufficiently active men were randomly assigned to a 12-week exercise training intervention, a 12-week relaxation training intervention, or a wait list control group. Health, stress, exercise levels, and physical fitness were assessed before and after the interventions. One hundred and six subjects completed all measurements and were included in the final analyses.

Results

As the main result, covariance analyses showed that both intervention programs buffered negative effects of stress on general health and mental health; however, no significant buffer effects for physical health and physical complaints were found. Furthermore, regression analyses provided support for the assumption that the amount of exercise participants engaged in functions as a moderator of the relationship between stress and general health; physical fitness was not found to moderate the stress–health relationship.

Conclusions

Overall, the findings present experimental support for the assumption that physical exercise buffers the effects of stress on general and mental health. Remarkably, the same effects were found for the participants of the relaxation training program. Thus, future studies need to further examine the stress-buffering effects of different exercise types as well as the effects of alternative stress-regulative interventions to determine which interventions are the most effective.

中文翻译：

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体育锻炼和健身对不活跃男性心理和身体健康结果的压力缓冲作用的调查：一项随机对照试验

客观的

运动被视为一种可能的压力管理方式，但关于运动的压力缓冲潜力的因果证据仍然非常有限。本研究通过检查参加有氧运动训练计划是否减少压力对健康的不利影响，通过实验测试了运动的压力缓冲假设。

方法

总共 149 名健康且不活跃的男性被随机分配到 12 周运动训练干预组、12 周放松训练干预组或等候名单对照组。在干预前后评估健康、压力、运动水平和身体健康。106 名受试者完成了所有测量并被纳入最终分析。

结果

作为主要结果，协方差分析表明，这两个干预计划都缓冲了压力对一般健康和心理健康的负面影响；然而，没有发现对身体健康和身体不适有显着缓冲作用。此外，回归分析为以下假设提供了支持：参与运动的人数是压力与总体健康之间关系的调节因素；没有发现身体健康可以减轻压力与健康的关系。

结论

总体而言，这些发现为体育锻炼可以缓冲压力对一般和心理健康的影响这一假设提供了实验支持。值得注意的是，放松训练计划的参与者也发现了相同的效果。因此，未来的研究需要进一步检查不同运动类型的压力缓冲效果以及替代压力调节干预措施的效果，以确定哪些干预措施最有效。