Abstract

Background. Mental health issues are a serious threat to adolescents. Physical activity is a solution to the threat of mental health problems, but ignorance of the dosage of physical activity means that the benefits obtained are not maximized and may even worsen mental disorders experienced by adolescents. The right dose of physical activity is important to pay attention to. Although there has been a lot of research on physical activity in mental health management in adolescents, the dosage of physical activity to manage mental disorders in adolescents is still unclear.

Study objectives. The purpose of this study is to provide a perspective on the mechanism and synthesize existing research evidence regarding the dose of physical activity in the management of mental health in adolescents.

Materials and methods. A systematic literature review with PRISMA guidelines was applied in this narrative review study. The identification of the initial data search for this study started from the Google Scholar database using citations from the range of 2015–2025. This was followed by the identification of the abstract and the title of the article. Then screening was carried out by checking all texts to determine eligible articles according to the criteria, in order to select appropriate articles ready to be synthesized.

Results. Sixteen articles were obtained that met the study criteria regarding physical activity to manage basic mental problems, including stress, anxiety, depression, and cognitive problems. The subjects’ age range was 10–24 years. The studies applied interventions and recorded the type, intensity, duration, and frequency of physical activity, and used experimental methods.

Conclusion. The aspect of neuroplasticity is one of the theoretical bases for adolescent mental improvement due to physiological adaptations obtained from external stimuli or doses of physical activity. Moderate to high intensity aerobic and multicomponent physical activity, with a duration of twenty to sixty minutes and a frequency of three times a week for no more than twelve weeks, is likely to be more effective for the management of mental disorders in adolescents.

Key words

adolescent, mental health, dosage, physical activity