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Green Exercise for Emotional Health: Effects on Alexithymia, Depression, and Quality of Life in Older Adults-A
Emel Mete1, Reyhan Kaygusuz Benli2, Gülser Cinbaz1
1Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Purpose:
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of green exercise combined with aerobic and resistance training on alexithymia, depression, and quality of life in elderly individuals.
Methods:
This randomised controlled trial included 64 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older, randomly assigned to an exercise group or a control group. Green exercises combined with aerobic and resistance exercises were applied to the exercise group once a week for 12 weeks. Alexithymia was evaluated with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), depression with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and quality of life with the World Health Organization Quality of Life Module for the Elderly (WHOQOL-OLD).
Results:
At week 12, the exercise group showed significant improvements compared to the control group in total scores of quality of life (F = 85.895, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.585), alexithymia (F = 51.099, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.456), and depression (F = 26.539, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.303), all with large effect sizes.
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that incorporating natural environments into structured physical activity may provide additional benefits for affect regulation and psychological well-being in older adults. Green exercise may serve as an accessible and effective intervention to improve mental health and support healthy aging.
Trial Registration:
NCT05342142.
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