Exploring Novel and Accessible Treatment Approaches for Children With Depression, Part 1

In their study "Physical Activity Interventions to Alleviate Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents" recently published in JAMA Network, Parco Sui, PhD, associate professor and head of the Kinesiology Division at the University of Hong Kong, and co-authors further substantiated the research proving exercise's beneficial properties to those with psychological disorders, particularly depression and major depressive disorder (MDD).

In part 1 of this Q&A, Dr Sui takes Psych Congress Network through the impetus for the study, article findings, and its outcomes. 

Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Evi Arthur, Psych Congress Network: What led you and your colleagues to look into physical activity’s effect on depressive symptoms in children? 

Dr Parco Siu: The available clinical practice guidelines suggest the use of psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy to alleviate depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. However, both approaches have limitations that can reduce treatment adherence. Data from previous surveys are alarming, as they showed that nearly 80% of children and adolescents needing mental health treatment did not receive appropriate medical care. There is an urgent need to explore novel treatment approaches that can be safely, feasibly, and widely implemented in the daily routine of depressed children and adolescents. Physical activity interventions are potential complementary or alternative treatments for depression in youth, as they have been shown to alleviate depressive symptoms in adults, and have been endorsed by international guidelines (EPA in Europe, NICE in the United Kingdom, and CANMAT in Canada) as an official treatment for adult depression. Furthermore, physical activity is generally safer and more accessible compared to other clinical depression treatments. With this meta-analysis, we aimed to gather a wider range of studies to provide critical insight regarding the association between physical activity interventions and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.

Arthur: Please briefly describe the study method and your most significant finding(s).

Dr Siu: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis that included 21 studies involving 2441 participants designed to examine the association of physical activity interventions with depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Our results showed that physical activity interventions produced greater reductions in depressive symptoms when compared to the controls.

Arthur: Were there any outcomes different than you expected?

Dr Siu: The finding that physical activity had greater benefits in participants aged ≥13 years than in younger participants.
 

Stay tuned for part 2 of this interview. 

Dr Parco Siu, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Kinesiology at the School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong. He obtained his PhD training in exercise physiology at West Virginia University School of Medicine followed by postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, the American College of Sports Medicine, the European College of Sport Science, and the Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science. Dr Siu’s research focuses on exploring the optimal exercise dosage on managing health issues including depression, cognitive impairment, insomnia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.