Effects of Acute Exercise on Drug Craving, Self-Esteem, Mood, and Affect in Adults with Polysubstance Use Disorder: Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background Novel treatments for substance use disorders are needed. Acute bouts of exercise can improve mood states and craving in nonclinical populations. Exercise effects in those with polysubstance dependence are understudied; controlled trials are needed. Objective This protocol describes a clinical study examining the short-term psychological effects of 2 types of physical activity, soccer and circuit training, in patients with substance use disorders. Effects will be compared with a nonexercise control group. Specific aims are to investigate whether there are differences between the activities and the duration of changes. Methods This study is a short-term multicenter randomized control trial with a crossover design. Patients consecutively admitted to 4 inpatient treatment centers were invited to participate in 3 conditions, each lasting 45 minutes, within one week. The order of the conditions was randomized. There were a total of 5 assessments, taken at baseline, immediately before each condition, immediately after each condition, and 1, 2, and 4 hours postintervention, enabling patterns of change over time to be observed. Psychological effects were assessed with self-report questionnaires, which included scales for craving, state anxiety, positive and negative affect, self-esteem, and mood. Exercise intensity was assessed with the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale and a heart rate monitor (Polar M200; Polar Electro Ltd). Cortisol was assessed in saliva before and 4 hours after the intervention. Results A total of 39 patients were included in the study. Data collection was completed in 2019. Conclusions We anticipate larger improvements in the intervention groups than among controls, indicating positive psychological effects during and after exercise. The study will add clinically relevant information about the short-term psychological effects of exercise in the treatment of substance use disorders, using activities that are easily accessible in different clinical settings. Trial Registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00018869; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00018869 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/18553

Effects of Acute Exercise on Affect, Anxiety, and Self-Esteem in Poly-Substance Dependent Inpatients

“…The study was retrospectively registered on November 11, 2019 (on German Clinical Trials [DRKS 00018869]). The protocol has been published [ 27 ].…”

“…The interventions are described in detail in the published protocol [ 27 ]. Briefly, in circuit training, participants completed four circuits of bodyweight exercises with a 2-min rest between each circuit.…”

A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of Tai Chi on the drug craving in women

“…The estimated parameters were α = 0.05, power = 0.8 and size effect = 0.25. The size effect value was according to a meta-analysis conducted by Etnier (1997) [21] and other two similar studies that were assessing the effect of exercise on drug craving [11,22]. The estimated total sample size was 95 and considering the possible drop outs, this study recruited 112 drug dependent women, from Women Speci c Drug Rehabilitation Center, Hefei, Anhui, China.…”

Effects of a Two-Month Exercise Training Program on Concurrent Non-Opiate Substance Use in Opioid-Dependent Patients during Substitution Treatment

“…Interestingly, the beneficial effects of exercise have a cumulative, long-term impact and can be easily integrated into different clinical settings. However, while the positive effects of exercise on the afore-mentioned substance abusers have been documented individually, less is known about the possible exercise-induced effects on the concurrent use of multiple nonopioid substances and the substitute substance in patients with OUDs during medication for opioid use disorders [41].…”