Exercise trial reported lower stress in adolescents with ADHD
Stress ratings fell and salivary cortisol rose immediately after the program. The abstract did not demonstrate lasting changes or report results for anxiety and depression.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The trial reported a short-term reduction in self-rated stress in adolescents with ADHD, alongside higher salivary cortisol. Persistence of these changes was not demonstrated at follow-up. Cortisol is a measured biomarker here; a rise does not by itself establish better mental health. The abstract leaves the size of the exercise-versus-control stress difference unclear.
The abstract does not specify the stress scale, cortisol units, control activities, or anxiety and depression results. It also provides no follow-up estimates to show the size of any remaining changes.
What researchers found
Self-reported stress
Immediately after the exercise program versus baseline; persistence was not demonstrated at follow-up.
Tracking change over time
Participants were assigned to an exercise program or a control group. Researchers measured self-reported mental health symptoms and salivary cortisol before the intervention, immediately afterward, and again later, allowing them to examine whether changes lasted.
Understanding the comparison
The analysis detected different patterns over time between groups for stress and cortisol. However, the numerical changes in the abstract describe comparisons with baseline, which leaves the size of the exercise-versus-control difference unclear.
The original publication
Efficacy of a short-term physical exercise intervention on stress biomarkers and mental health in adolescents with ADHD: A randomized controlled trial.
Dastamooz S, Wong SHS, Yang Y et al.
J Affect Disord · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 40945770
- Record checked
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