Combining physical and psychological interventions: impact of walking and self-affirmation on mental health outcomes in college students: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

This study examined the combined effects of walking and self-affirmation exercises on depression, perceived stress, self-esteem, and resilience in undergraduate students. Walking has been chosen as a low-cost, highly accessible form of physical activity known to improve mood and reduce stress, and self-affirmation exercises were designed to reflect personally important values to promote psychological benefits. Participants (N = 65) were randomly assigned to a walking-only group, a walking with self-affirmation group, or a control group. The two intervention groups engaged in a seven-week walking intervention, with the walking with self-affirmation group additionally completing self-affirmation exercises. The control group received no intervention. A 3 x 2 mixed ANOVA and paired-sample t-tests assessed pre- and post-intervention changes. Significant time x group interaction effects were found for depression (F-2,F- 49 = 3.41, p = .041), perceived stress (F-2,F- 49 = 11.78, p < .001), and resilience (F-2,F- 49 = 9.23, p < .001). The walking with self-affirmation group demonstrated significant reductions in depression (t(35) = 2.94, p = .006) and perceived stress (t(35) = 3.84, p < .001), and improvements in resilience (t(35) = -2.88, p = .007), whereas no significant changes were observed in the walking-only and control groups. Walking combined with self-affirmation enhances mental health benefits beyond walking alone. This intervention presents a scalable, cost-effective approach for stress reduction and resilience-building among students. Further research should explore its long-term efficacy.