Effect of Adapted Physical Activity on Emotion Regulation in People With Depressive Disorders (REAPAD)

Impact d'un Programme d'activité Physique adaptée Sur la régulation Des émotions de Personnes Souffrant de Troubles dépressifs, en Sortie d'Hospitalisation : étude REAPAD

Depression is associated with difficulties in emotion regulation. Adapted physical activity (APA) may help improve emotional regulation in people with depressive disorders.

The REAPAD study evaluates the effects of an adapted physical activity program on emotion regulation in adults with depressive disorders following psychiatric hospitalization. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two APA programs: a standard adapted physical activity program or a combined adapted physical activity program including activities specifically targeting emotional regulation.

Emotion regulation is assessed using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). The study also evaluates depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-esteem, physical activity, physical condition, and other psychological and physical outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depressive Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Classical Adapted Physical Activity Program; Behavioral: Adapted Physical Activity Program

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 45
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Vendée
    • La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendée, France, 85 000
      • EPSM de Vendée - Centre Hospitalier Georges Mazurelle

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age over 18 years
• Unipolar or bipolar depressive disorder
• Discharged from full hospitalization, up to three weeks after discharge
• Able to provide free and informed consent
• Not participating in any other research

Exclusion Criteria:

• High suicidal risk, at the investigator's discretion
• Medical contraindication to any physical activity
• Motor, psychological, or intellectual disability, or other medical condition, at the investigator's discretion, preventing full participation in the study
• Severe addictive disorder impeding participation in the study
• Psychotic disorder
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding
• Any circumstances rendering the participant unable to understand the nature, purpose, or consequences of the trial
• Under legal protection (guardianship or trusteeship)
• No social security coverage

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Classical Adapted Physical Activity	Behavioral: Classical Adapted Physical Activity Program; Participants received an individualized, moderate-intensity adapted physical activity program consisting of 8 sessions over 6 weeks, with at least one session per week. The program included aerobic training (step-based exercises, lateral stepping and locomotor circuit tasks), lower-limb resistance training (chair stands, step-ups, lateral stepping and lunges), and agility and coordination exercises (agility ladder drills and motor circuit tasks). Session duration progressively increased from 25 minutes for sessions 1 and 8 to 30, 35 and 40 minutes for the intermediate sessions. Each session included a 5-minute warm-up and muscular flexibility period and a 10-minute cool-down period.
Experimental: Combined Adapted Physical Activity Program	Behavioral: Adapted Physical Activity Program; Participants received an individualized, moderate-intensity adapted physical activity program consisting of 8 sessions over 6 weeks, with at least one session per week. The program included aerobic training, lower-limb resistance training, and agility and coordination exercises. In addition, cognitive and emotional training tasks were integrated into the physical activity sessions. Cognitive tasks included short-term memory activities, verbal fluency dual tasks and cognitive flexibility exercises. Emotional tasks included identifying, recognizing and expressing emotions using images and photographs of facial expressions. These cognitive and emotional tasks were incorporated during exercises and rest periods throughout the program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in emotion regulation strategies assessed by the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ	Emotion regulation strategies are assessed using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), a 36-item self-administered questionnaire comprising nine subscales. Items are rated from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always), providing scores for adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies	Baseline (T0), immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention (T1), and 6 weeks after the end of the intervention (T2)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Depressive Symptom Severity Assessed by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS	Depressive symptom severity is assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The scale consists of 10 items assessing depressive symptoms, each rated from 0 to 6. The total score ranges from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater severity of depressive symptoms.	Baseline (T0), immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention (T1), and 6 weeks after the end of the intervention (T2)
Change in Cognitive Flexibility Assessed by the Trail Making Test (TMT)	Cognitive functioning is assessed using the Trail Making Test (TMT). The test includes Part A and Part B. Performance is assessed using the time required to complete each part, with longer completion times indicating poorer performance.	Baseline (T0), immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention (T1), and 6 weeks after the end of the intervention (T2)
Change in Subjective Vitality Assessed by the Subjective Vitality Scale	Subjective vitality is assessed using the Subjective Vitality Scale. The scale consists of 5 items rated from 1 to 7 and assesses the participant's subjective experience of physical and psychological energy and vitality. Higher scores indicate greater subjective vitality	Baseline (T0), immediately after completion of the 6-week intervention (T1), and 6 weeks after the end of the intervention (T2)
Change in Mood States Assessed by the Profile of Mood States (POMS-F)	Mood states are assessed using the French version of the Profile of Mood States (POMS-F), a 65-item self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire assesses seven transient and fluctuating mood dimensions: tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, depression-dejection, fatigue-inertia, vigor-activity, and interpersonal relations. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. An overall psychological distress score is calculated by summing the tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, depression-dejection, and fatigue-inertia scores and subtracting the vigor-activity score. Higher psychological distress scores indicate greater mood disturbance. Mood state is assessed using the French version of the Profile of Mood States (POMS-F). The POMS-F consists of 65 items rated from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). The Global Score is calculated as the sum of Anxiety-Tension, Anger-Hostility, Confusion-Bewilderment, Depression-Dejection, and Fatigue-Inertia scores	Immediately before and immediately after each adapted physical activity session

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Georges Mazurelle

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Longuechaud C, Videau Villeneuve F, Bulteau F, Valot I, Douet M, Bulteau S, Deschamps T, Sauvaget A. The effect of adapted physical activity programs on the regulation of emotions in people suffering from major depressive disorders after hospital discharge: REAPAD study protocol. Minerva Psychiatry. 2026;67(2):82. doi:10.23736/S2724-6612.26.02669-2.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 10, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): April 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 19, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): August 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 21, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Mood Disorders; Depressive Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2022-A02099-34

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No