Effects of aerobic exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness and social functioning in veterans 40 to 65 years old with schizophrenia
Abstract
The usual physical activity level of people with chronic histories of schizophrenia is very low. In this pilot study, we examined the effects of an easy to implement aerobic exercise (AE) program on cardiorespiratory fitness and social functioning in 54 Veterans aged 40-65 years old with schizophrenia. Participants were randomized 2:1 to AE (36 forty-minute sessions conducted 3 times per week over 12 weeks) versus a non-aerobic stretching exercise condition conducted under the same regimen and timeframe. Cardiorespiratory fitness improved significantly within the AE group (p<.0001), and differed significantly from the comparison group (p<.02; Cohen's d=.41). Trend-level improvements were seen in social functioning within the AE group (p<.09) and showed a similar trend level difference in the between-group comparison (p<.06; Cohen's d=.35). Improvements in social functioning were significantly related to gains in cardiorespiratory fitness (r=.42; p<.01). AE effects on other physical and mental health indices were also examined. Overall, the AE intervention was well-tolerated, safe, and showed low rates of attrition after the commencement of training. Our findings indicate it is feasible to improve cardiorespiratory fitness in this clinical population, and there is suggestive evidence that the interventions aimed to do so may also benefit social functioning.
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Physical exercise sessions under 40 min exerted no significant effects on social functioning.
“Alternatively, sessions under 40 min exerted no significant effects (Kern et al. 2020), suggesting that session duration could be critical to effectiveness.”
From Social Functioning Interventions in Psychosis: A Systematic Review. (2025) · cites this paper as Kern et al. 2020
The negative findings for physical exercise may be attributed to the sample having a higher mean age (55) compared to younger cohorts (age range 25-40) who appeared to benefit more.
“The negative findings might also be attributed to the sample having a higher mean age (55) (Kern et al. 2020), compared to the younger cohorts (age range 25–40) who appeared to benefit more from this type of intervention (Dubreucq et al. 2020; Firth et al. 2018; Kimhy et al. 2021; Şenormancı et al. 2021).”
From Social Functioning Interventions in Psychosis: A Systematic Review. (2025) · cites this paper as Kern et al. 2020
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Enhancement of aerobic fitness improves social functioning in individuals with schizophrenia
Kimhy, D., Tay, C., Vakhrusheva, J., Beck-Felts, K., Ospina, L. H., Ifrah, C., Parvaz, M., Gross, J. J., & Bartels, M. N. (2021) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01220-0 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Social Functioning Interventions in Psychosis: A Systematic Review.
Vinu, M., & Georgiades, A. (2025) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.70090 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kern, R. S., Reddy, L. F., Cohen, A. N., Young, A. S., & Green, M. F.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kern, Robert S.
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-09
- Volume
- 291
- Pages
- 113258
- ISSN
- 0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3038256910
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 1.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Keywords
- aerobic exercise, cardiorespiratory fitness, social functioning, schizophrenia, veterans, middle-aged adults, physical activity, exercise intervention, feasibility, stretching, mental health
- MeSH terms
- Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Social Interaction, Adult, Aged, Exercise Therapy, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Physical Fitness, Pilot Projects, Registries, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenic Psychology, Veterans, Exercise, Treatment Outcome
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