Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Psychological Distress and Self-Regulation in Insufficiently Active Male University Students

October 30, 2026 updated by: Burcu Sıla SEZER

This study compared the effects of two running-based exercise programs on psychological distress, self-control, and emotion regulation in male university students who were not sufficiently physically active.

Thirty-six participants aged 18-25 years were randomly assigned to one of three groups: high-intensity interval training, moderate-intensity continuous training, or a wait-list control group. Both exercise programs lasted eight weeks and included three supervised sessions per week, for a total of 24 sessions. High-intensity interval training involved alternating periods of intense exercise and recovery, while moderate-intensity continuous training involved continuous exercise at a moderate intensity. The control group did not receive either exercise program during the study.

Participants completed questionnaires before and after the eight-week study period. The study examined whether changes in psychological distress, self-control, and emotion regulation differed among the three groups.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

36

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Bingöl
      • Bingoel, Bingöl, Turkey (Türkiye), 12100
        • Bingöl University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 25 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male university students aged 18-25 years.
  • No participation in structured exercise more than two days per week during the preceding six months.
  • Less than 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF).
  • Provision of written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A positive response on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+) without physician approval.

Known cardiovascular, metabolic, or respiratory disease, or a musculoskeletal injury limiting exercise.

Initiation of psychiatric treatment or a change in psychotropic medication dose within the preceding three months.

Plans to participate in another structured exercise program during the study period.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Wait-List Control
Experimental: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Behavioral: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

An eight-week supervised running-based exercise program consisting of three sessions per week, for a total of 24 sessions. Sessions involved repeated bouts of high-intensity running alternated with recovery periods.
Experimental: Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT)
Behavioral: Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training

An eight-week supervised running-based exercise program consisting of three sessions per week, for a total of 24 sessions. Sessions involved continuous running at a moderate intensity.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Psychological Distress Measured by the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)
Time Frame: Baseline and 48-72 hours after the final exercise session following the eight-week intervention.Total scores range from 0 to 36, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress.

Psychological distress was assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Higher total scores indicate greater psychological distress. Changes from baseline to the end of the eight-week intervention were compared across the three groups.
Baseline and 48-72 hours after the final exercise session following the eight-week intervention.Total scores range from 0 to 36, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress.
Change in Self-Control Measured by the 9-Item Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS-9)
Time Frame: Baseline and 48-72 hours after the final exercise session following the eight-week intervention.

Self-control was assessed using the 9-item Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS-9). Higher scores indicate greater self-control. Changes from baseline to post-intervention were compared across the three groups.
Baseline and 48-72 hours after the final exercise session following the eight-week intervention.
Change in Emotion Regulation Measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)
Time Frame: Baseline and 48-72 hours after the final exercise session following the eight-week intervention.

Emotion regulation was assessed using the Turkish version of the 10-item Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale. The questionnaire assesses cognitive reappraisal (six items) and expressive suppression (four items). Each subscale is scored separately as the mean of its items, ranging from 1 to 7. Higher scores indicate more frequent use of the respective strategy. No overall total score is calculated.
Baseline and 48-72 hours after the final exercise session following the eight-week intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Burcu Sıla SEZER

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 22, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 22, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

November 17, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 30, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 30, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HIIT-MICT-2025-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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