Effects Of Resistance Training On Mental Health And Sleep Outcomes Among Women With PTSD

Women living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face significant co-occurring mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety) and behavioral risk factors (e.g., poor sleep). Increasing evidence demonstrates that exercise can positively impact diverse health-related domains among populations with PTSD yet analyses which examine these conditions among women are rare. PURPOSE: To address this critical gap in research, this analysis examined the effects of a 3-week resistance training program on depression, anxiety, sleep, and PTSD among women who screened positive for PTSD. METHODS: This investigation analyzed pooled data from two methodologically similar randomized controlled trials (i.e., a pilot and a replication study). Participants (N = 40; age 28.4 ± 7.9 years; 100% female; 77.5% of Color) were randomly assigned to exercise (n = 20) or non-exercise time-matched control (n = 20). Data were analyzed with repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: Participants (N = 40; n = 20 control, n = 20 intervention) attended a mean of 7.5 (± 2.2) of nine study sessions. Most women (90%, n = 18 control; 80%, n = 16 intervention) participated fully in both conditions. Findings around mental health and sleep revealed significant improvements in depression, F(1, 32) = 5.47, p = .02; anxiety, F(1, 32) = 7.75, p = .009; and sleep, F(1, 32) = 12.62, p = .001, from pre-post intervention in the intervention group, relative to controls. Significant improvements were also found pre-post intervention in PTSD symptoms in both exercise and control groups, F(1, 32) = 52.63, p = .001. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that exercise improves anxiety, depression, and sleep among women with PTSD relative to controls. Improvements in PTSD among both groups suggest health education and/or exercise may be beneficial for women with PTSD. Moreover, high attendance and adherence in this intervention support that resistance training programs may be feasible among women with PTSD. Taken together, these results suggest that exercise may be used as a therapeutic treatment option for women with PTSD. These findings are especially relevant, given the high prevalence of PTSD among women and distinct barriers to accessing trauma-related care among this group.