The effect of physical activity in an alpine environment on quality of life is mediated by resilience in patients with psychosomatic disorders and healthy controls

Ower, Cornelia; Kemmler, Georg; Vill, Theresa; Martini, Caroline; Schmitt, Andrea; Sperner‐Unterweger, Barbara; Hüfner, Katharina

doi:10.1007/s00406-018-0930-2

Cited by 26 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Physical activity by itself and especially when performed in an outdoor/green/alpine environment is known to improve mental health. Few pilot studies could con rm the positive effect of the alpine environment when performing physical activity (Sturm et al 2012;Niedermeier et al 2017a;Ower et al 2018). This is in line with our nding that self-performed physical activity (METs) correlates with higher valence and dominance felt by participants after viewing alpine but not neutral stimuli.…”

Section: The Effect Of Physical Activity In An Alpine Environment On supporting

confidence: 69%

“…Flowchart of patient and healthy control recruitment (adapted with participant numbers for the current analysis from Ower et al 2018). Excluded cases terminated early, reported implausible values or had a single diagnose of alcohol abuse or eating disorder.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Abbreviations: BRS = Brief resilience scale, GPAQ = General Physical Activity Questionnaire, PHQ = Patient health questionnaire, PSS = Perceived stress scale, SAM ratings = Self-Assessment Manikin for emotional analytic ratings. (…) indicates that there were questionnaires at the indicated point in the study design not analyzed in the current study but in Ower et al 2018.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sociodemographic characteristics of patients and healthy controls (adapted with participant numbers for the current analysis fromOwer et al 2018) …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Viewing an alpine environment positively affects emotional analytics in patients with somatoform, depressive and anxiety disorders as well as in healthy controls

Hüfner

Ower

Kemmler

et al. 2020

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Abstract Background: Patients with somatoform, depressive or anxiety disorders often don´t respond well to medical treatment and experience many side effects. It is thus of clinical relevance to identify alternative, scientifically based, treatments. Our approach is based on the recent evidence that urbanicity has been shown to be associated with an increased risk for mental disorders. Conversely, green and blue environments show a dose-dependent beneficial impact on mental health. Methods: Here we evaluate the effect of viewing stimuli of individuals in an alpine environment on emotional analytics in 183 patients with psychiatric disorders (mostly somatoform, depressive and anxiety disorders) and 315 healthy controls (HC). Emotional analytics (valence: unhappy vs happy, arousal: calm vs excited, dominance: controlled vs in control) were assessed using the Self-Assessment Manikin. Further parameters related to mental health and physical activity were recorded.Results: Emotional analytics of patients indicated that they feel less happy, less in control and had higher levels of arousal than HC when viewing neutral stimuli. The comparison alpine>neutral stimuli showed a significant a positive effect of alpine stimuli on emotional analytics in both groups. Patients and HC both felt attracted to the scenes displayed in the alpine stimuli. Emotional analytics correlated positively with resilience and inversely with perceived stress.Conclusions: Preventive and therapeutic programs for patients with somatoform, depressive and anxiety disorders should consider taking the benefits of natural outdoor environments such as alpine environments, into account. Organizational barriers which are preventing the implementation of such programs in clinical practice need to be identified and addressed.

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Section: The Effect Of Physical Activity In An Alpine Environment On supporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sociodemographic characteristics of patients and healthy controls (adapted with participant numbers for the current analysis fromOwer et al 2018) …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Viewing an alpine environment positively affects emotional analytics in patients with somatoform, depressive and anxiety disorders as well as in healthy controls

Hüfner

Ower

Kemmler

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Petzold et al [9] reveal that a structured psychological intervention is effective in outpatients with mental disorders to increase their level of physical activity in short-and mid term and to promote healthy diet. Finally, physical activity in an alpine outdoor environment has shown to improve resilience and quality of life beyond effects of physical activity itself in a large patient group with psychosomatic disorders, mostly somatoform disorder and MDD [10]. Ongoing studies investigate the impact of duration of aerobic exercise training.…”

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confidence: 99%

Aerobic exercise in mental disorders: from basic mechanisms to treatment recommendations

Schmitt

Reich‐Erkelenz²,

Hasan

et al. 2019

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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Why do we climb mountains? An exploration of features of behavioural addiction in mountaineering and the association with stress-related psychiatric disorders

Habelt

Kemmler

Defrancesco

et al. 2022

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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Common knowledge implies that individuals engaging in outdoor sports and especially in regular and extreme mountaineering are exceptionally healthy and hardened. Physical activity in outdoor environments has a positive effect on physical and mental health. However, regular and/or extreme mountaineering might share similarities with behavioural addictions and could thus also have a negative impact on health. In this cross-sectional web-based questionnaire study, we collected data on exercise and mountaineering addiction (Exercise Addiction Inventory; original and adapted version for mountaineering; Exercise Dependence Scale adapted version for mountaineering). Further surveyed parameters included mountaineering habits, Risk-Taking Inventory, Sensation-Seeking/Emotion Regulation/Agency Scale (SEAS), resilience, self-perceived stress, physical activity in metabolic units and mental health. Comparisons were performed between individuals with symptoms of addiction to mountaineering (MA) and individuals without symptoms of addiction to mountaineering or sports in general (CO) using non-parametric analyses. We analysed data from 335 participants, n = 88 thereof with addiction to mountaineering (MA) and n = 247 control participants (CO). The MA group scored significantly higher with regards to self-perceived stress (p < 0.001) and included a significantly higher number of individuals affected by symptoms of depression (p < 0.001), symptoms of anxiety (p < 0.001), symptoms of eating disorders (p < 0.001), alcohol abuse or dependence (p < 0.001), illicit drug abuse (p = 0.050), or current and history of psychiatric disorders (p < 0.001). Individuals with MA showed higher values in all SEAS subscales as well as increased risk-taking (p < 0.001). Regular and extreme mountaineering can display features of a behavioural addiction and is associated with psychiatric disorders. Behavioural addiction in mountaineering is associated with higher levels of sensation-seeking, emotion regulation, and agency, as well as increased risk-taking.

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The effect of physical activity in an alpine environment on quality of life is mediated by resilience in patients with psychosomatic disorders and healthy controls

Abstract: There is a positive effect of PA in an alpine environment on mental health beyond that of physical activity itself. Preventive and therapeutic programs should thus include physical activity, but also take additional benefits of natural environments into account.

Cited by 26 publications

References 43 publications

Viewing an alpine environment positively affects emotional analytics in patients with somatoform, depressive and anxiety disorders as well as in healthy controls

Viewing an alpine environment positively affects emotional analytics in patients with somatoform, depressive and anxiety disorders as well as in healthy controls

Aerobic exercise in mental disorders: from basic mechanisms to treatment recommendations

Why do we climb mountains? An exploration of features of behavioural addiction in mountaineering and the association with stress-related psychiatric disorders

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