BMC Psychol. 2026 Jun 6. doi: 10.1186/s40359-026-04940-5. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Amid increasing social pressures, the importance of psychological resilience as a key resource for stress coping has become prominent. Although exercise is considered a potential means to enhance resilience, a systematic quantitative assessment of moderating factors influencing its effect is lacking. This meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the effect of exercise interventions on enhancing psychological resilience and explore the moderating roles of intervention duration, age, and study design.
METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, relevant databases were searched up to January 2026. Randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies were included. Study quality was assessed using standardized tools. Analyses were conducted using a random-effects model, subgroup analyses, and heterogeneity tests.
RESULTS: Ten studies were included. Exercise intervention had a significant positive effect on psychological resilience (pooled SMD = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.33-0.65). Intervention duration was a statistically significant moderator (p = 0.01) that survived Bonferroni correction for multiple subgroup tests (α < sub > adjusted < /sub > = 0.017), with long-term interventions (> 8 weeks, SMD = 0.64) yielding significantly larger effects than short-term interventions (≤ 8 weeks, SMD = 0.30). The intervention was effective across all age groups. Randomized controlled trials yielded a numerically larger effect size (SMD = 0.56) than non-randomized studies (SMD = 0.35), but the subgroup difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.21). No publication bias was detected.
CONCLUSION: Exercise intervention is an effective approach to enhancing psychological resilience. Subgroup analyses confirmed that intervention duration is a statistically significant moderator, with long-term interventions yielding significantly greater benefits. This provides an empirical basis for designing personalized, long-term exercise programs for different populations.
PMID:42251398 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-026-04940-5
