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Cited by 299

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 118 of the 118 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Loneliness and physical activity: A systematic review

Pels, Fabian, Kleinert, Jens·2016·International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Abstract

This article aims to provide an overview of the current state of research on the relationship between loneliness and physical activity (PA). A systematic literature search was conducted to identify all empirical studies assessing this relationship. A total of 37 studies stemming from 36 publications met the inclusion criteria. Study analyses comprised an individual consideration of each study and a systematic summarization of the studies. The majority of eligible studies focused on adolescent or elderly populations. Direct negative associations between PA and loneliness were found in half of the 24 cross-sectional studies. Of the seven identified longitudinal studies, one found a direct negative influence of PA on loneliness. Four longitudinal studies found evidence for a reverse influence, namely of loneliness on PA. Five intervention studies found PA to reduce loneliness. Two of the cross-sectional studies and one of the intervention studies found social support and social competence to moderate or to mediate the relationship between PA and loneliness. The findings indicate that PA can contribute to a decrease in loneliness. However, studies also indicate that any beneficial effect is dependent upon the quality of relationships present during physical activity. Additionally, loneliness itself might reduce the probability of being physically active.

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Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003, The active Australia survey: A guide and manual for implementation
  2. 10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497 · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497 · Paper page
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  4. Godin G., 1985, Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Science, 10, 141
  5. Griffin J., 2010, The lonely society?
  6. Harter S., 1988, Manual for the self-perception profile for adolescents
  7. Page R. M., 1994, Wellness Perspectives, 10, 56
  8. Page R. M., 1994, Adolescence, 29
  9. Perlman D., 1981, Personal relationships. Personal relationships in disorder, 31
  10. 10.5641/027013610X13088573596285 · doi:10.5641/027013610x13088573596285

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Metadata

Authors
Pels, F., & Kleinert, J.
Venue
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Published
2016-01
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
231-260
ISSN
  • 1750-984X (ISSN-L)
  • 1750-9858
OpenAlex
W2416695798
Cited by
299
References
118
FWCI
1.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Loneliness and physical activity: A systematic review. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1080/1750984x.2016.1177849
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Pels, F., & Kleinert, J. (2016). Loneliness and physical activity: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984x.2016.1177849

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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.