SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2026
Effects of mind-body exercises on depressive symptoms in older adults: a comprehensive umbrella review of the evidence.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Background: Depression is common in older adults, often with suboptimal pharmacological responses. Mind-body exercises (MBEs) like Tai Chi, Yoga, and Qigong have emerged as potentially beneficial non-pharmacological interventions. However, existing systematic reviews report heterogeneous findings, necessitating a comprehensive synthesis of the available evidence. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect to August 2025, following PRISMA and PRIOR guidelines. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining MBEs' effects on depressive symptoms in adults ≥60 years were included. The Corrected Covered Area (CCA) assessed overlap between reviews. Effect sizes were synthesized using random-effects modeling. Quality was assessed via AMSTAR-2 and GRADE. Results: Twenty-five reviews (>20,000 participants) were included, with moderate overlap (CCA = 6.98%). The synthesized evidence suggested moderate reductions in depressive symptoms (pooled SMD = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.66 to -0.35, Conclusion: This umbrella meta-analysis provides moderate-certainty evidence that MBEs, particularly Qigong, may be associated with reductions in depressive symptoms in older adults, though the substantial heterogeneity ( Systematic Trial Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251131812, Identifer [PROSPERO 2025 CRD420251131812].
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.