The Impact of Exercise on Suicide Risk: Examining Pathways through Depression, PTSD, and Sleep in an Inpatient Sample of Veterans
Abstract
Suicide has a large public health impact. Although effective interventions exist, the many people at risk for suicide cannot access these interventions. Exercise interventions hold promise in terms of reducing suicide because of their ease of implementation. While exercise reduces depression, and reductions in depressive symptoms are linked to reduced suicidal ideation, no studies have directly linked exercise and suicide risk. The current study examined this association, including potential mediators (i.e., sleep disturbance, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and depression), in a sample of Veterans. SEM analyses revealed that exercise was directly and indirectly associated with suicide risk. Additionally, exercise was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and better sleep patterns, each of which was, in turn, related to lower suicide risk.
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There are studies that have failed to establish a significant association between exercise and PTSD symptomatology.
“There are also studies that have failed to establish a significant association between exercise and PTSD symptomatology (41, 42, 44).”
From Exercise Intervention in PTSD: A Narrative Review and Rationale for Implementation (2019) · cites this paper as [44]
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“There are also studies that have failed to establish a significant association between exercise and PTSD symptomatology (41, 42, 44).”
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- Authors
- Davidson, C. L., Babson, K. A., Bonn‐Miller, M. O., Souter, T., & Vannoy, S.
- Affiliations
- Denver VA Medical Center (US)
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System (US)
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Davidson, Collin L.
- Venue
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2013-01-25
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 279-289
- ISSN
- 0363-0234 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-278X
- OpenAlex
- W1994771400
- Cited by
- 71
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 3
- FWCI
- 7.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Keywords
- physical activity, suicide risk, suicidal ideation, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, veterans, mediation, exercise intervention
- MeSH terms
- Suicide Prevention, Adult, Aged, Depression, Female, Humans, Inpatients, Male, Middle Aged, Risk, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Suicide, Suicide, Attempted, Veterans, Exercise, Suicidal Ideation
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