An empirical study on the alleviation of policewomen’ anxiety by mindfulness-based aerobic dance through affecting emotion regulation

Anxiety impacts both physical and mental health, yet it can be alleviated through exercise. This study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness-based aerobic dance on policewomen's anxiety and compare them with those of traditional aerobic dance. A repeated-measures experimental design was employed to assess the effects of mindfulness-based aerobic dance and traditional aerobic dance on policewomen's anxiety. In the mindfulness-based aerobic dance group, the scores of "SAI", "TAI", "Cognitive reappraisal" and "Expressive suppression" showed statistical significance (p <0.05) after 8 weeks of exercise. After 12 weeks of exercise, these scores were significantly lower than the baseline values. In the traditional aerobic dance group, the "Cognitive reappraisal" showed statistical significance (p = 0.041) after 8 weeks of exercise, and the "SAI", "TAI" and "Expressive suppression" showed statistical significance (p <0.05) after 12 weeks of exercise. Both mindfulness-based aerobic dance and traditional aerobic dance can alleviate the anxiety of policewomen. However, the mindfulness-based aerobic dance is more rapid and effective in this regard.