Exercise in Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders
Condition: Anxiety
MeSH terms: Anxiety Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Aim: Aerobic and resistance exercise showed anxiolytic effects in clinical populations.
      Climbing could further enhance self-efficacy. Aim of the study is to examine whether climbing
      exercise and aerobic exercise, compared to social contact control, reduces symptoms of
      disease in out-patients with anxiety disorder (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
      Further analyses are aiming to reveal differences between climbing - and aerobic exercise.

      Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial Participants: Thirty out-patients diagnosed with
      International Classification of Disease-Version 10 (ICD-10) (F40, F41, F43.1) for AD or PTSD.

      Intervention: Out-patients will be assigned randomly to a climbing exercise group (a),
      aerobic exercise group (Nordic walking) (b) or social contact control group (c).

      Measurements: Primary outcome is symptom severity in AD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.
      Further secondary outcomes are evaluated by psychological questionnaires assessing
      depression, worry symptoms, quality of life, self-efficacy and affective responses.
      Metabolites of neurotransmitters, immune-activation markers and anthropometric data will be
      additionally provided as secondary physiological outcomes.

      Duration: Intervention duration is four weeks with 2 x 75 min for every group (climbing
      exercise, aerobic exercise, social contact control). Measurement points are set at the
      beginning (t1), at the end of the intervention (t2) and 3 (t3) and 6 (t4) months follow-up.
    

Detailed description: 
      The proposed research project is designed as a randomized controlled clinical trial with
      three arms. The efficacy of a climbing exercise program, an aerobic exercise program and a
      social contact control group on primary and secondary study outcome will be investigated (see
      Figure 1). Patients will be first screened by the outpatient-unit of the Department of
      Psychosomatics at the Medical University of Innsbruck or remitted through the treating staff
      network community. When assessed as eligible for the study, a group of up to ten out-patients
      will be randomly selected and invited to an informative meeting. Patients receive study
      information and time tables for their group attendances. The intervention will start within
      the following week and will end four weeks after beginning. Follow-up assessments will take
      place three and six months after intervention.

      In addition to the AD/PTSD symptom screening, secondary study outcomes will be assessed:

        -  at study inclusion (t1)

        -  at the end of the intervention (t2)

        -  three months after the intervention (t3)

        -  six months after the intervention (t4)
    

Intervention name(s): Climbing; Nordic Walking; Social Contact
Intervention type(s): Procedure; Procedure; Procedure
Intervention description(s): All interventions are identical in their duration. To fulfill the WHO guidelines of health enhancing activity (minimum 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week), two 75 minutes exercise sessions per week will take place. After meeting the inclusion criteria and after allocation to one of the three groups, patients will receive their timetable with the exercise or group session dates.; All interventions are identical in their duration. To fulfill the WHO guidelines of health enhancing activity (minimum 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week), two 75 minutes exercise sessions per week will take place. After meeting the inclusion criteria and after allocation to one of the three groups, patients will receive their timetable with the exercise or group session dates.; All interventions are identical in their duration. To fulfill the WHO guidelines of health enhancing activity (minimum 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week), two 75 minutes exercise sessions per week will take place. After meeting the inclusion criteria and after allocation to one of the three groups, patients will receive their timetable with the exercise or group session dates.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized controlled clinical trial with three arms for the comparison of the efficacy of a climbing exercise program, an aerobic exercise program and a social contact control group on symptoms of AD/PTSD, worry symptoms, quality of life, physical activity, health-related resources and affective responses in patients with AD or PTSD.
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Anxiety Disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Sports intervention