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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Psychiatry

Experiences of exercise and mental well-being among psychiatric inpatients: a qualitative study

  • Martin Bystad1,2
  • Anna Lodewijks1
  • Sveinung Rydland1
  • Gunn Pettersen3
  • Lorena García-Fernández4,5
  • Roberto Rodriguez-Jimenez5,6,7
  • Rolf Wynn4,8
8 affiliations
  1. 1Division of Substance Use and Mental Health, University Hospital of North Norway
  2. 2Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
  3. 3Department of Health and Care Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
  4. 4Department of Clinical Medicine, Universidad Miguel Hernández
  5. 5CIBERSAM-ISCIII (Biomedical Research Networking Centre for Mental Health)
  6. 6Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Pathology, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM)
  7. 7Health Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12)
  8. 8Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
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Abstract

Background: Exercise can have a range of benefits for both mental and physical health. There is a lack of research on how inpatients in psychiatric care experience physical exercise, as most existing studies focus on outpatients. The aim of this study was to explore how psychiatric inpatients experience exercise, in particular with respect to their mental well-being.

Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews with eight inpatients (five male, three female, mean age of 53.9) with serious mental health disorders who had participated in individualized exercise sessions led by an exercise physiologist during their hospital stay we used reflexive thematic analysis.

Results: We identified four key themes: follow-up support, symptom reduction, sense of mastery, and activation during hospitalization. A particularly notable finding was that participants reported immediate improvements in mood and perceived mental well-being following exercise. The presence of an exercise physiologist was described as a crucial source of motivation and support.

Conclusion: Overall, the study suggests that structured opportunities for exercise with individualized professional support may be a valuable component of psychiatric inpatient care.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{bystad2026experiences,
  title = {{Experiences of exercise and mental well-being among psychiatric inpatients: a qualitative study}},
  author = {Martin Bystad and Anna Lodewijks and Sveinung Rydland and Gunn Pettersen and Lorena García-Fernández and Roberto Rodriguez-Jimenez and Rolf Wynn},
  journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1907931},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1907931/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Experiences of exercise and mental well-being among psychiatric inpatients: a qualitative study
AU  - Martin Bystad
AU  - Anna Lodewijks
AU  - Sveinung Rydland
AU  - Gunn Pettersen
AU  - Lorena García-Fernández
AU  - Roberto Rodriguez-Jimenez
AU  - Rolf Wynn
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/19
JO  - Frontiers in Psychiatry
DO  - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1907931
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1907931/full
AB  - Background: Exercise can have a range of benefits for both mental and physical health. There is a lack of research on how inpatients in psychiatric care experience physical exercise, as most existing studies focus on outpatients. The aim of this study was to explore how psychiatric inpatients experience exercise, in particular with respect to their mental well-being.  Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews with eight inpatients (five male, three female, mean age of 53.9) with serious mental health disorders who had participated in individualized exercise sessions led by an exercise physiologist during their hospital stay we used reflexive thematic analysis.  Results: We identified four key themes: follow-up support, symptom reduction, sense of mastery, and activation during hospitalization. A particularly notable finding was that participants reported immediate improvements in mood and perceived mental well-being following exercise. The presence of an exercise physiologist was described as a crucial source of motivation and support.  Conclusion: Overall, the study suggests that structured opportunities for exercise with individualized professional support may be a valuable component of psychiatric inpatient care.
SN  - 1664-0640
ER  -