Physical Activity for Mental Health: The Diverse Evidence and New Avenues
A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Psychology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 1111
Special Issue Editors
Interests: mental health; career development and counseling; physical activity; sport psychology; health psychology
2. College of Physical Education, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China
Interests: personality and individual differences; human performance; health behaviors; mental health and wellbeing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The World Health Organization has defined mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (WHO, 2005, p. 2). Such a conceptualization suggests that mental health consists of the presence of or increased mental wellbeing (e.g., feeling good and functioning well in daily life) and the absence of or reduced mental illness (e.g., anxiety, stress, psychological distress). Previous research has demonstrated varied psychological benefits of physical activity participation; however, more diverse evidence is needed to better understand the role participating in physical activity plays in the promotion of mental wellbeing and the prevention of mental illness in diverse populations (e.g., patients, athletes, schoolchildren and adolescents, adults at varying ages, people with neurodiversity or special needs, etc.).
Moreover, knowledge is needed regarding the biopsychosocial factors that may modulate the mental health consequences of participation in physical activity, especially among those who are engaging in varied high-intensity and high-volume physical activities (e.g., elite athletes, blue-collar workers) or those with special needs (e.g., the neurodiverse or other vulnerable individuals). In this context, we argue that participation in physical activity may not always be equally beneficial to all people at times, and could be debilitative to mental health (e.g., reinforcing obsession, muscle dysmorphia, eating problems, etc.). Meanwhile, the varied types and contexts of physical activity may also exert different influences on different people. There is certainly no “one model fits all” when promoting physical activity for mental health.
Overall, this Special Issue will collate new knowledge and diverse evidence about physical activity for mental health. We welcome manuscripts that offer novel insights into the associations of physical activity participation with mental wellbeing and mental illness from various perspectives (e.g., social, neurological, and psychological). We encourage prospective contributors to address the abovementioned issues that use diverse approaches (interventional studies, longitudinal qualitative and quantitative designs, mixed-design studies, systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and meta-analyses).
This Special Issue is open to any subject area including, but not limited to, the keywords below.
Dr. Jingdong Liu
Dr. Shuge Zhang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- physical activity
- physical exercise
- sports
- work-related physical activity
- mental health
- mental illness
- subjective wellbeing
- quality of life
- burnout
- personality and individual differences
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
