2025/07/23 by Steffen Schulz, Dirk Cysarz, Frauke Musial +1 · 1 voice
Medicine · Psychology · #Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control #Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions #Mental Health Research Topics
paper · pdf · doi:10.3389/fnint.2025.1658381
openalex publication_date 2025/07/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Interventions for mental health and well-being. This category comprises studies that investigated diverse interventions or factors that significantly influence mental health, emotional states, stress, and overall well-being, frequently incorporating a mind-body component or emphasizing resilience. The following key issues were addressed by this category: physical exercise and emotional well-being; selfreflection and stress reduction; integrated physical-mental therapies; mindfulness and well-being in adolescents; mindful movement for mental health; Yoga for stress and emotional well-being; mindbody exercises and quality of life; creative arts and emotional regulation; patient consciousness in therapy; health and wellness coaching; and group meditation for public health.Specific conditions and symptoms: depression, anxiety, stress, and fatigue. This category encompasses studies that addressed specific mental health disorders or key symptoms, frequently exploring their prevalence, interconnections, risk factors, or targeted interventions. The following key issues were addressed by this category: The following studies have been conducted on the subject of cancer-related fatigue and stress: eurythmy therapy, activity-based stress release, psychosomatic health in students, depression in cancer patients, automated stress detection, sex differences in diabetes patients' symptom networks, anxiety, depression, sleep in university students, BMI and depressive symptoms, mental health literacy and psychological status, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and depression, adolescent suicide attempters, exercise for COVID-19 patients' mental health, and mindbody therapies for adolescent depression.The connection between physical health, pain and quality of life and mental health. This category includes studies that focused on physical well-being, pain management, and general quality of life, often exploring their connections to psychological factors, social support, or mind-body interventions.The following key issues were addressed by this category: sleep duration and chronic musculoskeletal pain, Tai Chi vs. water aerobics and brain connectivity, social support and quality of life in cancer patients, health-related quality of life assessment in alopecia areata, placebo effects and appetite/satiety, physiological markers for social and physical pain, social alienation and emotional intelligence, placebo in mindfulness-based interventions for pain, exercise enjoyment in overweight/obese individuals, breakfast consumption and handgrip strength, Qigong for COVID-19 rehabilitation, mind-body exercise for stroke patients, outdoor interventions for myopia, and interorgan regulation of affective states.The connection between physical and mental health in an educational context. This category specifically includes studies in which the study population is comprised of students, often addressing their unique challenges, academic expectations, or specific interventions relevant to their developmental stage. The following key issues were addressed by this category: doctoral students' expectations, physical exercise and emotional states in university students, mindful movement for kinesiology and sport students, psychosomatic health in TCM university students, Yoga for university students' well-being, mental health symptoms and health-promoting lifestyles in Chinese university students, and Qi states and depression in college students.Qian et al. (Qian et al., 2025) investigated the psychophysiological effects of NaiKan Therapy, a selfreflection method, on salivary oxytocin and cortisol release in sixty participants over a period of five days. A significant increase in oxytocin levels and a decrease in cortisol levels were observed posttherapy, suggesting that NaiKan Therapy enhances social bonding and reduces stress reactivity. These findings offer novel insights into the neuroendocrine mechanisms of this introspective practice and its potential for improving mental well-being. Singh et al. (Singh et al., 2024) introduced a Budo group therapy for psychiatric in-and outpatients, incorporating martial arts, mindfulness, and breath work to enhance physical and mental health. Over a 14-month period, 215 individuals participated, demonstrating good retention and high self-reported satisfaction, motivation, and improved physical and psychological well-being. The study concludes that Budo group therapy is a feasible, wellaccepted, and promising transdiagnostic treatment approach that combines physical activation with resilience enhancement for a broad spectrum of mental health needs. Ecker et al. (Ecker et al., 2024) investigated the immediate effects of a single mindfulness intervention on healthy adolescents aged 12-19, using both subjective and physiological measurements. Contrary to the prevailing expectations, no significant immediate improvements in well-being, state mindfulness, heart rate, or heart rate variability were observed in comparison to an active control group. However, the findings indicated that a generally mindful attitude (trait mindfulness) was positively correlated with better subjective well-being and reduced mental burden in this age group, suggesting its potential as a resilience factor. Spaccapanico Proietti et al. (Spaccapanico Proietti et al., 2024) evaluated the short-term impact of an 8-week mindful movement programme (Movimento Biologico) on 38 Kinesiology and Sport Sciences students. The programme led to a marked enhancement in the positive mental health of the participants, as well as in several interoceptive awareness subscales, including emotional awareness. Furthermore, the autonomy subscale of psychological well-being demonstrated a significant enhancement, indicating an improvement in body sensation recognition, emotional-physical links, and self-confidence. Castellote-Caballero et al. (Castellote-Caballero et al., 2024) analyzed, in a randomized controlled trial, the efficacy of a 12-week yoga intervention on stress, emotional wellbeing, and anxiety in 129 university students. The experimental group demonstrated significant enhancements in perceived stress, emotional well-being, and both state and trait anxiety, in comparison to the control group. Their finding indicated that yoga can play a substantial role in the reduction of stress and anxiety, and the enhancement of emotional well-being in university students. Yang et al. (Yang et al., 2024) investigated the impact of mind-body exercises on the quality of life in 1,087 older adults, exploring the chain mediating effects of perceived social support and psychological resilience. They found a significant and positive correlation between quality of life and mind-body exercises. Their findings indicated that perceived social support and psychological resilience exhibited a chain mediating effect, signifying that mind-body exercises enhance quality of life by fortifying these factors. Barnett and Vasiu (Barnett and Vasiu, 2024) investigated, in a hypothesis and theory paper, the neural mechanisms of creative arts' therapeutic effects on mental and physical health, with a specific focus on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and amygdala. Preliminary findings indicate that both active and passive engagement with creative arts consistently activate neural circuits involved in adaptive emotional regulation. The study concludes that creative arts have the potential to function as a complementary therapeutic strategy by engaging shared neural mechanisms with emotional regulation, thereby enhancing understanding of their role in mental health. Shirbache et al. (Shirbache et al., 2024) introduced "Ultra-Overt Therapy" (UOT), a novel medical approach that emphasizes patient consciousness and awareness of medication's physiological processes to improve drug efficacy. Their non-systematic review explored evidence from the mind-body relationship, placebo response, neuroscience, and complementary medicine, suggesting theoretical promise for UOT. It is recommended that future research be conducted to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the global impact of this method on medical treatment and patient care. Wolever and Weinand (Wolever and Weinand, 2025) presented the Health and Wellness Coaching (HWC) as an evidence-based approach to address chronic disease, integrating mind-body science and autonomy-promoting lifestyle interventions. The Vanderbilt Health Coaching Program's process is detailed, highlighting the integration of mindfulness, the Wheel of Health, and guided visualization with motivational interviewing. Additionally, structural tools like the Vanderbilt Health Coaching Funnel and IVA Funnel are introduced to foster sustainable behavior change and clarify true coaching strategies. Schneider et al. (Schneider et al., 2024) underscored, in a perspective paper, the pressing need for novel public health strategies to avert collective stress, violence, and war, examining the role of evidence-based meditation from Ayurveda and Yoga in this context. The programme under scrutiny is that of Transcendental Meditation, which has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing collective stress and conflict while improving quality of life, as evidenced by empirical studies across cultures. The mechanisms by which group meditation mitigates collective violence are explored through the lenses of public health models, neuroscience, and quantum physics principles. This suggests that group meditation has the potential to enhance societal well-being and peace.Timm et al. (Timm et al., 2024b) investigated in a prospective observational study the online implementation of eurythmy therapy (ERYT), a mindful-movement therapy from anthroposophic medicine, for cancer-related fatigue (CRF), stress, and mindfulness. Study 1, which utilized a mixed sample, demonstrated enhancements in emotional and physical well-being, with a concomitant reduction in stress and an increase in mindfulness. However, the study did not reveal a significant effect on fatigue. Study 2, which focused on subjects diagnosed with cancer, revealed a substantial enhancement in CRF, stress, and mindfulness scores. These findings imply that online ERYT may offer benefits for these indicators in cancer patients and underscore the accessibility advantages of the online format. In another study (Timm et al., 2024a) they appraised the practicability and efficacy of an 8-week online Activity-Based Stress Release (ABSR) programme, a pioneering mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) derived from anthroposophic medicine, on perceived stress and mindfulness. A large-scale observational study with 830 participants was conducted, and the results demonstrated a significant decrease in self-reported stress and a substantial increase in mindfulness scores over the course of the intervention. These benefits were sustained at follow-up. They suggested that this AMbased intervention effectively cultivates mindfulness and is adaptable to an online format, offering a diverse approach within MBIs. Byun et al. (Byun et al., 2024) evaluated the feasibility of automated stress detection in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), and healthy controls (HCs) using machine-learning algorithms based on heart rate variability (HRV) features. A total of 147 subjects participated in the study, during which HRV data was collected during stress and relaxation tasks. The highest classification accuracies were observed in healthy controls (HCs), however, personalized longitudinal scaling significantly improved accuracies across all groups to over 0.90. They suggested that HRV metrics have the potential to serve as biomarkers of stress; however, the altered autonomic responses observed in psychiatric patients necessitate the development of tailored approaches for stress monitoring. This emphasizes the value of longitudinal scaling for the development of personalized technologies. Wu et al. (Wu et al., 2024) investigated sex differences in the symptom network structure of depression, anxiety, and self-efficacy among 413 diabetes patients. The prevalence of depression and anxiety was found to be higher in female subjects than in male subjects. The strongest symptom connections exhibited variation by sex; nevertheless, "worry" and "nervousness" were found to be central to both groups. They found a strong negative association between "guilt" and self-efficacy in females, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to promote psychological well-being. Jafari et al. (Jafari et al., 2024) investigated, in a cross-sectional study, mental health literacy (MHL) and depression literacy (D-Lit) and their relationship with psychological status and quality of life in 400 Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). They revealed inadequate levels of MHL and D-Lit, with only 5.8% of respondents answering D-Lit questions correctly. Their findings indicated a robust correlation between low MHL and D-Lit with elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as a diminished quality of life. This underscores the imperative for targeted mental health interventions. Tomaszek et al. (Tomaszek et al., 2024) examined, in a retrospective cohort study, the demographic and clinical profiles of 425 adolescent suicide attempters (aged 11-17 years) who were admitted to an emergency department during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of participants were female, aged between 15 and 17, and resided in urban areas. The most prevalent method was self-poisoning, frequently involving antidepressants or paracetamol, followed by self-harm. It is noteworthy that approximately 70% of visits were linked to mental disorders, primarily depressive disorder, thereby underscoring the pandemic's enduring repercussions on youth mental health. Tang et al. (Tang et al., 2024) assessed, in a systematic review and meta-analysis, the impact of exercise therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with COVD-19. A meta-analysis of six studies involving 461 patients with confirmed cases of the disease found that those who engaged in regular exercise demonstrated significantly reduced anxiety levels, depression levels, PHQ-9 scores, and sleep quality when compared to non-exercising individuals. The research provides evidence that exercise therapy can effectively help patients with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) to experience reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, and to achieve better sleep quality. Luo et al. (Luo et al., 2024a) investigated, in a systematic review and network meta-analysis, the effectiveness of different mind-body therapies (MBTs) in alleviating depression among adolescents. A comprehensive review of the extant literature was conducted, encompassing nine randomized controlled trials with a total of 955 subjects. Their findings indicated that yoga, dance therapy and Tai Chi were more effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Specifically, yoga was identified as the optimal intervention, followed by dance therapy and Tai Chi, demonstrating positive effects on adolescent depression. Moshfeghinia et al. (Moshfeghinia et al., 2024) investigated, in a systematic review and meta-analysis, the association between depression and keratoconus (KC), a chronic corneal disease. A comprehensive analysis encompassing 83 KC patients and 3,186 controls yielded a conspicuously elevated depression score in the KC cohort. However, a meta-analysis of four studies comparing depression rates found no increased overall risk of depression among KC patients. Their findings a relationship between KC and mental health, et al. et al., 2024) investigated in a cross-sectional study the relationship between sleep duration and chronic musculoskeletal pain in using The study revealed a indicating that both and sleep were with an increased prevalence of with of sleep the These findings underscore the of optimal sleep duration for the of musculoskeletal health. et al. et al., 2024) a comparison between the brain of older who practice Tai Chi and those who practice in a They demonstrated that of Tai Chi exhibited in the during of Furthermore, increased were observed in brain with and control during the of the and tasks. In the group demonstrated in with and during the suggesting the of neural mechanisms for these et al. et al., 2024) conducted a longitudinal study with a to the impact of medical perceived and perceived social support on quality of life in cancer patients during their following They found that elevated perceived social support was with emotional well-being at and following Furthermore, support from a significant was found to be with improved physical reduced pain, and diminished fatigue at The study concludes that social support is a in psychological well-being and enhancing overall for patients, emphasizing its in comprehensive care. et al. et al., utilized a network approach to the between depression and health-related quality of life in Chinese cancer patients. The prevalence of depression, a central symptom that symptoms as pain, and physical was found to be of patients. The impact of depression on health-related quality of life is through its effect on emotional pain, physical function and This underscores the of treatment for depression in enhancing overall et al. et al., 2024) conducted a study with the of the of the in patients diagnosed with The analysis yielded a which exhibited including and The was as a for the assessment of in patients. et al. et al., 2024) analyzed, in a cross-sectional study, data from Chinese in to the relationship between body and depressive symptoms. They demonstrated a substantial suggesting that both and elevated the risk of depression. This association was in and suggesting that a body is a strategy for depression and overall physical and mental health. et al. et al., 2024) the in a study, in and influence in a group of healthy a placebo with specific for or followed by a to The results demonstrated that effectively in healthy as evidenced by significantly elevated for in comparison to This process may be by a reduction in and et al. et al., 2024) the role of placebo effects and in mindfulness-based interventions for pain, their effectiveness A total of studies were in the only a of these specifically focused on placebo However, the studies indicated a role for placebo and in for both and chronic They the for these factors to be in future experimental and research to be conducted in to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the connection between and pain et al. et al., 2024) compared physiological responses to social and physical pain in a group of healthy The study found that social pain increased heart rate and and rate and The physical pain an increase in heart rate variability and as well as a decrease in and However, no change was observed in The of these that HRV and can serve as markers to physiological responses to social and physical pain et al. et al., 2024) evaluated the levels of social alienation by patients In their to the mediating factors that to this and perceived social The results indicated a social alienation score of emotional levels were found to be significantly correlated with reduced social The demonstrated that and perceived social support this effect, highlighting their for interventions. Luo et al. (Luo et al., 2024b) evaluated and in a meta-analysis, the effects of and on enjoyment and affective responses in or individuals. with participants, the study enjoyment using the and affective responses the and The review that generally a better than in this no significant in emotional was et al. et al., 2024) in a systematic review and meta-analysis, the evidence the association between the of breakfast consumption and handgrip strength, as well as The meta-analysis, which a total of six studies on and on revealed a significant positive association between regular breakfast consumption and higher handgrip levels in not in significant differences were observed in based on breakfast consumption for and and 2024) investigated, in a systematic potential as support for COVID-19 and The review of clinical studies revealed effects of an Chinese practice and on sleep and health-related quality of life. is to and to this practice into public health strategies and comprehensive treatment et al. et al., 2024) in a systematic review and meta-analysis, the effects of mind-body exercise on physical mental health, and quality of life in stroke patients. A total of randomized controlled trials with participants were significant improvements in and overall exercise depression, and quality of life. However, the impact of mind-body exercise on was not found to be Qigong with specific intervention was found to be effective in improving and quality of life. et al. et al., 2024) in a systematic and meta-analysis the overall efficacy of outdoor interventions for in and adolescents. randomized controlled trials with the meta-analysis demonstrated significant improvements in and reduced following outdoor interventions. The study concludes that outdoor interventions effectively and control with low risk and high therapeutic a or approach to and in a empirical finding on the of regulation of affective and states, on the between the and These mechanisms are for states with physiological thereby as and The review under emphasizes the of the mechanisms and circuits of both processes for the of and affective disorders, and mind-body and and 2024) conducted a cross-sectional of doctoral in and health in online to their for with a focus on complementary and The participants a for support, and a higher value on while indicated a for development and with a for improved with these results of for and Luo and 2024) explored in a longitudinal study the between physical exercise and emotional states in university students, by of that significantly positive and in physical exercise through underscoring role in emotional well-being and the relationship between physical and positive et al. et al., 2024) investigated the psychosomatic health of TCM university students, high prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms. analysis identified and as central symptoms within the The of or and as symptoms suggests that these are for intervention to symptom et al. et al., 2024) network analysis to and symptoms within anxiety, depression, and sleep and to their with health-promoting lifestyles among Chinese university students. The study identified and as symptoms, while and as key Their findings indicated that the of these symptoms and the of specific can significantly enhance the mental health of university students. and and 2024) the between the following Qi Qi and depression The study population comprised college students. Their findings indicated the of depressive symptoms, low levels of Qi and and a strong positive correlation between the Qi They found a and positive correlation between both Qi and Qi with depression, thereby support for the Chinese theory and suggesting that physical therapy may be an effective intervention for alleviating the and focus of the was primarily on the following the mind-body mind-body and mindfulness-based mental health and well-being a general and with to physical health and social and and and psychophysiological and specific and The clinical questions focused on specific research questions or as the effectiveness of prevalence, and mechanisms and development and of and feasibility and The under scrutiny a of not mental health and disorders, as depression and anxiety, stress and panic disorders, suicide social affective disorders, and sleep In to physical the following conditions have been chronic musculoskeletal pain, pain cancer, cancer cancer alopecia areata, diabetes effects of (SARS-CoV-2) myopia, and chronic The studies under review in this to a of including not to mind-body therapies as Tai Chi, mindfulness-based eurythmy therapy, Budo group therapy, NaiKan therapy dance therapy, creative arts, health and wellness and therapy; physical and exercise as general physical water exercise therapy, and outdoor interventions. The following factors have been identified as a role in the of support and lifestyle social support, body optimal sleep health-promoting targeted psychological placebo effects and intervention and and personalized as automated stress detection and personalized on of the and its on psychological networks, quality of life, and primarily focused on the mind-body connection and mindfulness-based examining mental and physical health, social and addressed intervention prevalence, and A of conditions were investigated, including mental health disorders depression, and physical chronic pain, cancer, Interventions diverse mind-body therapies Tai Chi, physical support social support, lifestyle and approaches automated stress