One Thing Learned and a Remaining Question
The assigned article is a fascinating source of new knowledge regarding exercise’s mental health effects in drug detoxification. One interesting takeaway from Salmon’s (2001) review is the existence of evidence to argue for physical exercise’s protective impacts, especially about depression. Specifically, it has been demonstrated that regular exercise is inversely related to the intensity of depressive symptoms in those undergoing drug detoxification (Salmon, 2001). Protective influences are explicit in patients engaging in anaerobic exercises, such as body-building programs, but not aerobic training (Salmon, 2001). One question that I still have pertains to the various approaches to research about the topic. Specifically, I wonder if cross-sectional and longitudinal explorations differ about the aforementioned takeaway.
Question: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies
In the context of body-building as a possible option to avoid depression in the post-detoxification stage, cross-sectional (CS) and longitudinal studies are important. The first difference between these study types pertains to the number of patients surveyed. CS studies or observational research with one data collection session have been numerous, with some studies featuring samples that exceed 50,000 participants from various age groups (Salmon, 2001). In contrast, longitudinal studies are rarer due to being more complex to conduct, with the largest one exploring exercise-depression correlations in over 10,200 male patients (Salmon, 2001). Thus, in terms of generalizability, CS research might be more reliable.
Another difference stems from the studies’ essential methodological dissimilarities, such as the duration of data collection. CS research on the topic suggests exercise’s overall negative connection to depression, with no consideration given to exercising individuals’ depression scores before developing such routines (Salmon, 2001). As opposed it, longitudinal studies inspire more specific predictions, indicating that regular exercise correlates with depressed individuals’ better mental health in the longer term, for instance, eight years after treatment initiation (Salmon, 2001). Despite dissimilarities, both study types are rather consistent in demonstrating exercise as a variable to reduce depressive symptoms in all socio-demographic groups.
References
Salmon, P. (2001). Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: A unifying theory. Clinical Psychology Review, 21(1), 33-61. Web.