No evidence of a control group response in exercise randomised controlled trials in people with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Brendon Stubbs; Simon Rosenbaum; Philip B Ward; Felipe Barreto Schuch; Davy Vancampfort

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.07.081

No evidence of a control group response in exercise randomised controlled trials in people with schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Psychiatry Res. 2015 Oct 30;229(3):840-3. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.07.081. Epub 2015 Jul 29.

Authors

Brendon Stubbs¹, Simon Rosenbaum², Philip B Ward², Felipe Barreto Schuch³, Davy Vancampfort⁴

Affiliations

¹ Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ, United Kingdom; Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, United Kingdom. Electronic address: [email protected].
² School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
³ Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Médicas: Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Departamento de Psiquiatria, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
⁴ KU Leuven Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Department of Neurosciences, UPC KU Leuven, Campus Kortenberg, Kortenberg, Belgium.

PMID: 26254799
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.07.081

Abstract

Increased control group responses (CGR) make it more difficult to establish the effectiveness of interventions to improve symptoms in schizophrenia. We conducted a meta-analysis of CGR within randomised control trials (RCTs) comparing exercise and a control condition in people with schizophrenia. We found no evidence of a CGR for total, positive or negative symptoms. Control group responses do not negatively impact exercise RCTs that have clearly demonstrated substantial beneficial effects of exercise in this population.

Keywords: Control group response; Exercise; Placebo response; Schizophrenia.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Control Groups*
Exercise Therapy / psychology
Exercise Therapy / statistics & numerical data*
Female
Humans
Male
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / statistics & numerical data*
Schizophrenia / therapy*