Lewis, Jessica;
(2022)
What are the psychological mechanisms that underlie the positive effects of exercise on mental health?
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
It has been established that exercise is beneficial for mental health and wellbeing. However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of exercise on mental health are not fully understood. Much research into mechanisms focuses on physiological and neurological effects, but less focuses on psychological processes that occur during exercise. This thesis explores possible psychological mechanisms for the effect of exercise on mental health, along with barriers and facilitators to increasing exercise, with a view to informing more effective exercise interventions for mental wellbeing. Part one is a conceptual introduction exploring what is currently known about the effect of exercise on mental wellbeing including possible mechanisms. It also explores literature on barriers and facilitators of increasing exercise in general and clinical populations. Part two is an empirical research paper. It describes a survey-based study where exercise level, mental wellbeing, and a range of psychological factors that might underlie the relationship between the two, were assessed across three time points. The paper presents the results of mediation analyses exploring which factors may explain the association between exercise and mental wellbeing as well as additional exploratory analysis to support interpretation. Additionally, predictors of increasing exercise are analysed and reported. The results are discussed with particular emphasis on clinical applications. Part three is a critical appraisal of the research process including the literature review and empirical study. It includes detailed analysis of potential threats to validity of the findings and conclusions and personal reflections on the experience of completing the research project.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | What are the psychological mechanisms that underlie the positive effects of exercise on mental health? |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | exercise, heath, interventions, psychology |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10156463 |
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