The Effect of Physical Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Female Students with Anxiety and Depression: A Randomized Controlled Study

Background and Purpose: Anxiety and depression disorders (ADD) have the highest overall prevalence rate among psychiatric disorders, particularly in young females. These disorders are disabling, distressing, and significantly impact quality of life. This study aimed to compare the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and physical therapy (PT) on female students with mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Methods: Forty female students, aged 18 to 25 years (mean age 21±0.75), were randomly assigned into two equal groups: physical exercises therapy (PT) (group A; n=20) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (group B; n=20). Assessments were conducted before and after an 8-week treatment program using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS 21). Results: Both groups showed improvements in DASS21 scores (stress, anxiety, and depression) with P=0.0001, and in IPAQ continuous scoring with P=0.02, but not in the categorical scoring (P=0.37) in group B. Although greater improvement was observed in the PT group (group A) for anxiety (P=0.02), continuous (P=0.001), and categorical (P=0.008) scoring, no significant difference was found between the two groups in stress (P=0.43) and depression (P=0.32) scores. However, mean differences in the PT group scores were higher than those in the CBT group. Conclusions: Both PT and CBT effectively improved manifestations of anxiety and depression in young females with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, with PT showing greater efficacy in managing anxiety.