Results Chart:
immersion_chart.xlsx | |
File Size: | 10 kb |
File Type: | xlsx |
In Conclusion
This study did have its limitations and variables. It was impossible to monitor the physical activity of each participant for each day. We have to rely on their accounts. In addition to this, the amounts of physical activity and increases in it must have varied between the participants. Another limitation of this experiment was its lack of control group. We are unable to see if this experiment might have had a placebo effect or not. The last variable of this experiment is the personal lives of each individual that could have affected the findings. Being able to monitor all the physical activity of the participants, including a control group, slightly increasing the number of participants, and increasing the length of the study would be beneficial to the research of this and help fill the holes of this experiment. However, this is what we can conclude from the study despite these variables: From the results, it seems that those in the active group showed very little to no change. This may be due to the fact that they were already engaging in a significant amount of physical activity prior to the experiment. All of the participants in this group showed no signs of depression prior to the study and had very little change that could be made. In the moderately inactive group, we have two participants that dropped into less severe categories of depression during the study. One of these two dropped from minimal depression to no signs of depression at all. The other dropped from moderately severe depression to moderate depression and then down to mild depression throughout the study. The other participant of this group showed no change throughout the experiment in depression severity. However, this participant also showed no signs of depression prior to the study, having little change they could make. In the inactive group, one of the participants dropped from mild depression down to
minimal depression over the course of four weeks. The other three of this group did not change in categories of depression. However, all of them decreased their score of severity during the study. All together three participants ended up
dropping down in severity of their depression categories and eight of the ten participants saw a decrease in their severity scores at the least. From this, we can conclude that there is a correlation between physical activity and the mental health of an individual. Physical activity seems to directly decrease the severity of depression, therefore, improving mental health.
This study did have its limitations and variables. It was impossible to monitor the physical activity of each participant for each day. We have to rely on their accounts. In addition to this, the amounts of physical activity and increases in it must have varied between the participants. Another limitation of this experiment was its lack of control group. We are unable to see if this experiment might have had a placebo effect or not. The last variable of this experiment is the personal lives of each individual that could have affected the findings. Being able to monitor all the physical activity of the participants, including a control group, slightly increasing the number of participants, and increasing the length of the study would be beneficial to the research of this and help fill the holes of this experiment. However, this is what we can conclude from the study despite these variables: From the results, it seems that those in the active group showed very little to no change. This may be due to the fact that they were already engaging in a significant amount of physical activity prior to the experiment. All of the participants in this group showed no signs of depression prior to the study and had very little change that could be made. In the moderately inactive group, we have two participants that dropped into less severe categories of depression during the study. One of these two dropped from minimal depression to no signs of depression at all. The other dropped from moderately severe depression to moderate depression and then down to mild depression throughout the study. The other participant of this group showed no change throughout the experiment in depression severity. However, this participant also showed no signs of depression prior to the study, having little change they could make. In the inactive group, one of the participants dropped from mild depression down to
minimal depression over the course of four weeks. The other three of this group did not change in categories of depression. However, all of them decreased their score of severity during the study. All together three participants ended up
dropping down in severity of their depression categories and eight of the ten participants saw a decrease in their severity scores at the least. From this, we can conclude that there is a correlation between physical activity and the mental health of an individual. Physical activity seems to directly decrease the severity of depression, therefore, improving mental health.