The effects of acute physical exercise on the state anxiety and mental performance of college women

Subjects (n = 85) were undergraduate students enrolled in health and safety courses in the Division of Health and Safety at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, during the Spring Quarter, 1981. State anxiety was assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The Digits Backwards subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale was used to measure mental performance. Following an initial administration of these tests, subjects were given either five minutes of benchstepping activity or a quiet rest. A second assessment of anxiety level and mental performance was then taken. State anxiety and mental performance scores were analyzed for significant differences by using the Wilcoxon Matched-Pair Signed-Ranks test. The Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance by ranks was employed to also determine whether significant differences existed in the state anxiety and mental performance of high and low anxious women comprising the high-, medium-, and low-fitness categories. Fitness level was based upon the individual's age, body weight, and post-exercise pulse rate. The results indicated that, overall, physical exercise did not significantly reduce state anxiety in high anxious women. However, fitness level did appear to influence the extent to which exercise reduced the high anxiety state. In this regard, high- and medium-fit women experienced a significant reduction in state anxiety following exercise while low-fit women did not. With respect to mental performance, only quiet rest resulted in increased scores on the Digits Backwards test. For low anxious women, exercise increased state anxiety but not mental performance. It was concluded that exercise alone was not a sufficient predictor of the effects of exercise on high anxious women. Finally, it was suggested that for the somatic mechanisms influenced by high anxiety, physical exercise has some therapeutic value. For the cognitive mechanism affected by high anxiety states, a quiet rest is beneficial.