Table 1.
Characteristics of the studies included in the meta-analysis.
| First Author, Publication Year | N (% Female) | Age Range, Mean (SD) | Population | Country | Study Design | PS Measure | Intervention | Results * | Quality Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acil (2008) [26] | 30 (40%) | 21–45 | Schizophrenia | Turkey | Observational-longitudinal | SANS, SAPS | Aerobic Exercise | Positive: r = 0.33; Negative: r = 0.35 |
3 |
| 2 | Behere (2011) [21] | 66 (29%) | EXP: 31.3 (9.3); CT: 30.2 (8.0) |
Schizophrenia | India | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise Yoga |
EX: Positive: r = 0.09; EX: Negative: r = 0.15; YA Positive: r = 0.16; YA: Negative: r = 0.03 |
2 |
| 3 | Campos (2015) [27] | 32 (25%) | EXP: 39.77 (9.2), CT: 39.00 (5.60) | Schizophrenia | Portugal | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Other | Positive: r = −0.05; Negative: r = −0.06; GP: r = −0.04 |
2 |
| 4 | Dodd (2011) [28] | 8 (25%) | 45.9 (10.1) | Schizophrenia | Australia | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Aerobic exercise | Positive: r = −0.14; Negative: r = 0.16; GP: r = 0.17 |
3 |
| 5 | Firth (2018) [29] | 38 (21%) | 25.8 (4.6) | Other psychotic disorders | United Kingdom | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise | Positive: r = 0.25; Negative: r = 0.38; GP: r = 0.40 |
2 |
| 6 | Fisher (2020) [30] | 22 (0%) | 24.8 (4.8) | Other psychotic disorders | United Kingdom | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise | Positive: r = 0.28; Negative: r = −0.04; GP: r = 0.24 |
1 |
| 7 | Gholipour (2012) [31] | 45 (0%) | 38 (8) | Schizophrenia | Iran | Observational-longitudinal | SANS | Exercise | Negative: r = 0.61 | 3 |
| 8 | Ho (2016) [22] | 151 (46%) | 55.0 (7.4) | Schizophrenia | China | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise Tai-chi |
Exercises Positive: r = −0.11; Exercises Negative: r = −0.13; Tai-chi Positive: r = −0.38; Tai-chi Negative: r = −0.17 |
2 |
| 9 | Kaltsatou (2015) [32] | 16 (12%) | 59.9 (14.1) | Schizophrenia | Greece | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise | Positive: r = 0.20; Negative: r = 0.14; GP: r = 0.18 |
2 |
| 10 | Lee (2013) [33] | 187 (60%) | 37.9 (8.2) | Other psychotic disorders | China | Observational–cross-sectional | SAPS, SANS | Positive CS: r = −0.04; Negative CS: r = 0.14 |
2 | |
| 11 | Leutwyler (2014) [34] | 30 (40%) | 55-older | Schizophrenia | USA | Observational-cross-sectional | PANSS | Negative: r = −0.20; | 2 | |
| 12 | Manjunath (2013) [23] | 88 (44%) | EXP: 31.7 (8.8), CT: 31.1 (7.8) |
Schizophrenia | India | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Yoga Exercise |
Positive: Yoga: r = 0.67; Exercise: r = 0.59; Negative: Yoga: r = 0.57; Exercise: r = 0.56; GP: Yoga: r = 0.82; Exercise: r = 0.72 |
2 |
| 13 | Romain (2019) [35] | 66 (38%) | 30.73 (7.23) | Other psychotic disorders | Canada | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | HIIT | Positive: r = 0.60; Negative: r = 0.78; GP: r = 0.89 |
1 |
| 14 | Scheewe, Backx (2013) [36] | 31 (25%) | 29.2 (7.2) | Schizophrenia | Netherlands | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise | Positive: r = 0.25; Negative: r = 0.13; GP: r = 0.26 |
1 |
| 15 | Scheewe, van Haren (2013) [37] | 84 (26%) | 28.5 (7.3) | Schizophrenia | Netherlands | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise | GP: r = 0.27 | 1 |
| 16 | Shimada (2019) [38] | 32 a | 20–65 | Schizophrenia | Japan | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS, SANS | Aerobic exercise | Positive: r = 0.30; Negative: r = 0.48; GP: r = 0.34 |
3 |
| 17 | Shin (2016) [39] | 61 (43%) | 23–61; 46.59 (8.40) | Schizophrenia | Korea | Observational-cross-sectional | PANSS | Positive: r = −0.51; Negative: r = −0.36; GP: r = −0.46 |
2 | |
| 18 | Silva (2015) [24] | 34 (0%) | Resistance—32.91 (2.28) Aerobic—35.55 (2.63) | Schizophrenia | Brazil | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | Aerobic exercise Resistance exercise |
Aerobic-positive: r = 0.57; Aerobic-negative: r = 0.45; Aerobic GP: r = 0.77; Resistance-positive: r = 0.82; Resistance-negative: r = 0.77; Resistance GP: r = 0.88 |
1 |
| 19 | Su (2016) [40] | 22 (46%) | 37.64 (8.23) | Schizophrenia | Taiwan | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Aerobic Exercise | Positive: r = 0.23; Negative: r = 0.37 |
2 |
| 20 | Svatkova (2015) [41] | 81 (26%) | 18–48 | Schizophrenia | Czech Republic | Experimental-longitudinal | PANSS | Exercise | Positive: r = 0.29; Negative: r = 0.20 GP: r = 0.28 |
2 |
| 21 | Takahashi (2012) [42] | 23 (48%) | 43.5 (11.8) | Schizophrenia | Japan | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Aerobic exercise | Positive: r = 0.04; Negatve: r = 0.09 GP: r = 0.12 |
2 |
| 22 | Vancampfort (2017) [43] | 19 (26%) | 24.4 (5.1) | Other psychotic disorders | Belgium | Observational-cross-sectional | PANSS | Positive moderate: r = −0.01; Positive vigorous: r = −0.31; Negative moderate: r = 0.06; Negative vigorous: r = 0.11 | 1 | |
| 23 | Vancampfort (2012) [44] | 52 (40%) | 35.74 (10.75) | Schizophrenia | Belgium | Observational-cross-sectional | PECC | Positive: r = −0.22; Negative: r = −0.45 |
2 | |
| 24 | Van Citters (2009) [45] | 76 (72%) | 43.5 (11.4) | Other psychotic disorders | USA | Observational-longitudinal | SANS | Exercise | Negative: r = 0.07 | 2 |
| 25 | Visceglia & Lewis (2011) [46] | 10 (40%) | 37.40 (13.75) | Schizophrenia | USA | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | Yoga | Positive: r = 0.56; Negative: r = 0.43; GP: r = 0.64 |
2 |
| 26 | Wang (2018) [47] | 62 (52%) | 38.3 (8.34) | Schizophrenia | Taiwan | Observational-longitudinal | MC-PANSS | Exercise | Positive: r = 0.31; Negative: r = 0.41; GP: r = 0.47 |
1 |
| 27 | Wu (2015) [48] | 18 (55%) | 38.39 (8.24) | Schizophrenia | Taiwan | Observational-longitudinal | PANSS | HIIT | Positive: r = -.01; Negative: r = 0.31; GP: r = 0.30 |
2 |
N = sample size; EXP = the experimental group; CT = the control group; PA = physical activity; PS = psychotic symptoms; Positive = positive symptoms of psychosis; Negative = negative symptoms of psychosis; GP = general psychopathology (total score); PANSS = Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; MC-PANSS = Mandarin Chinese Version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; PECC = Psychosis Evaluation tool for Common use by Caregivers; SANS—The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms; SAPS = The Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms; Aerobic Exercise = aerobic exercises interventions; Yoga = yoga training only; HIIT = high intensity interval training; Psychoeducation = psychosocial intervention; exercise = other exercise interventions (e.g., video game exercises intervention); Tai-chi = intervention focused on tai-chi training; Schizophrenia = studies enrolling people with schizophrenia diagnosed; Other psychotic disorders = studies enrolling people with other types of psychotic disorders diagnosed (e.g., schizoaffective disorders and/or other types of psychosis); a = gender not provided. * positive values of the coefficient mean that a higher level of physical activity is related to better mental health (i.e., less negative symptoms, less positive symptoms, less general psychopathology symptoms.