Physical activity and childhood trauma experiences in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders

Background: Physical activity promotes resilience and reduces stress. Here we aimed to clarify the impact of physical activity and childhood trauma experiences on current mood and cogni- tive function in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) or bipolar disorders (BD). Methods: Three-hundred-and-six patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia (SZ) or bipolar disorder (BD) were included in the study. Diagnoses were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I). Physical activity was measured as hours spent on any regular physical activity per week. All patients underwent a neuropsychological test battery. History of Childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and mood symptoms were assessed with the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms. Results: Patients with childhood trauma who were physically inactive (˂90 min per week) had the most severe clinical profile, characterised by the highest depressive symptoms (p ˂ 0.001) and lowest performance on working memory tasks (p ˂ 0.001). Among patients with childhood trauma, those who were physically active ( 90 min per week) had better working memory per- formance than physically inactive patients (p ¼ 0.02). Discussion: A history of childhood trauma was associated with poorer working memory and more depressive symptoms only in patients who were physically inactive, suggesting a possible protective factor of physical activity in severe mental disorder.