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VOL. 11, ISSUE 3 (2026)
The effect of physical activity on mental health in teenagers- A narrative literature review
Authors
Dr. Jagdish Chander
Abstract
Teenagers is a formative developmental stage
during which the basics of lifelong physical and psychological well-being are
established. This paper presents a narrative literature review, structured
according to conventions used in Scopus-indexed sports science and public
health journals, examining the relationship between physical activity and
mental health outcomes in adolescents aged approximately 10–19 years.
Peer-reviewed systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials,
and international policy documents indexed in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of
Science were synthesized to evaluate the effects of physical activity on
depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and overall psychological well-being.
The evidence indicates that structured physical activity interventions produce
small-to-moderate but regular developments in adolescent mental health, with
particularly strong effects on stress reduction and social competence.
Conversely, sedentary behavior and excessive recreational screen time are
associated with poorer mental wellbeing, an association that intensifies beyond
roughly two hours of daily use. Plausible biological mechanisms, including
elevated brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and neoplastic adaptation,
together with psychosocial mechanisms such as enhanced self-concept and social
connectedness, are discussed as pathways linking movement behavior to
psychological functioning. The review concludes that physical education and
school-based physical activity programming represent a low-cost, scalable, and
evidence-supported strategy for adolescent mental health promotion, while
noting methodological limitations across the literature, including
heterogeneity in outcome measures and a relative scarcity of long-term
longitudinal data
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Pages:6-9
How to cite this article:
Dr. Jagdish Chander "The effect of physical activity on mental health in teenagers- A narrative literature review". International Journal of Yoga, Physiotherapy and Physical Education, Vol 11, Issue 3, 2026, Pages 6-9
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