Physical activity and childhood trauma experiences in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders

Background: Physical activity promotes resilience and reduces stress. Here we aimed to clarify the impact of physical activity and childhood trauma experiences on current mood and cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) or bipolar disorders (BD).

Methods: Three-hundred-and-six patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia (SZ) or bipolar disorder (BD) were included in the study. Diagnoses were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I). Physical activity was measured as hours spent on any regular physical activity per week. All patients underwent a neuropsychological test battery. History of Childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and mood symptoms were assessed with the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms.

Results: Patients with childhood trauma who were physically inactive (˂90 min per week) had the most severe clinical profile, characterised by the highest depressive symptoms (p ˂ 0.001) and lowest performance on working memory tasks (p ˂ 0.001). Among patients with childhood trauma, those who were physically active (≥90 min per week) had better working memory performance than physically inactive patients (p = 0.02).

Discussion: A history of childhood trauma was associated with poorer working memory and more depressive symptoms only in patients who were physically inactive, suggesting a possible protective factor of physical activity in severe mental disorder.