Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Psychology
Reader 1
Professor Heejung Park
Reader 2
Professor Jose Arreola
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
Although there is promising evidence suggesting that exercise can be an effective method for reducing anxiety, the research examining the underlying processes through which exercise relates to anxiety, especially among adolescents, is limited. The following study seeks to uncover whether 1) exercise has a significant direct impact on anxiety symptoms, 2) anxiety sensitivity mediates the relationship between exercise and anxiety, and 3) self-efficacy also mediates the relationship between exercise and anxiety. A sample of 103 high school students aged 15-17 years old will be assessed on measures of anxiety sensitivity, self-efficacy, and anxiety symptoms before and after the implementation of a “wellness program,” in which participants will be randomly assigned to an exercise group (aerobic cycling) or a stretching group. Within the exercise condition, anxiety sensitivity is hypothesized to decrease and self-efficacy is hypothesized to increase, in turn decreasing anxiety. Thus, mediation analyses are expected to indicate that there is a direct effect of exercise on anxiety, but anxiety sensitivity and self-efficacy each partially mediate the relationship between exercise and anxiety. These findings would provide support for exercise as an evidence-based intervention strategy for reducing anxiety in adolescents-- an often understudied group with high rates of anxiety-- and potentially promote their overall well-being.
Recommended Citation
Teraoka, Kendra, "EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR ANXIETY IN ADOLESCENTS: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ANXIETY SENSITIVITY AND SELF-EFFICACY" (2025). Scripps Senior Theses. 2500.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/2500
