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NCT05539495Completed

Exercise Recovery From Persistent Depression: A Thematic Analysis

Exercise Recovery From Persistent Major Depression in a UK Tertiary Care Centre: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Barriers and Drivers to Participation in a Structured Group Exercise Program

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 7 May 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and poses a large economic burden in the UK. There is evidence that exercise is beneficial in the management of depression and NICE now recommends group exercise programs as a treatment for people with mild and moderate-severe depression. Research shows that patients with severe depression are less likely to engage in exercise than patients with mild to moderate depression. There is little evidence, however, on the barriers and drivers to participation in such programs experienced by patients with depression; leading to uncertainty in the most effective way to implement these programs. We aim to analyse accounts of patients who have been referred to or participated in the Exercise Recovery Group (ERG), a group exercise program at the Nottingham Specialist Depression Service (NSDS). The NSDS is a tertiary unit where referred patients have suffered moderate-severe, persistent clinical depression. Eligible participants will be patients with persistent major depression who have agreed to referral to the ERG at the NSDS and who are able to provide informed consent. Participants will undergo a one-off 60 minute meeting via MS Teams, including an in-depth semi-structured interview on their experience as well as self-completion questionnaires assessing demographics, depression, anxiety and shame. Transcripts of the interviews will be subject to qualitative thematic analysis addressing questions on barriers and drivers of exercise treatment in depression; and the perceived impact of an exercise group on the individual participating. Themes will be developed to give an account of these questions, supported by anonymised quotes from the transcripts. The questionnaire data (on demographics, depression, anxiety, shame) will be used to characterise the group, in order to help assess directness of the evidence provided for other clinical populations; ultimately helping clinicians to implement exercise groups for depression that are acceptable for patients.

Status (registry)
Completed
Study type
Observational
Enrollment
12 (actual)
First submitted
5 Sept 2022
Start date
1 Dec 2022
Primary completion date
9 Apr 2024
Lead sponsor
University of Nottingham
Diseases
Depression
NCT number
NCT05539495

What you commit to

  • Study type: Observational
  • Participants enrolled: 12
  • From 1 Dec 2022 to the primary completion date, 9 Apr 2024
  • 1 site in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Other illness

  • Patients with a main diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder.

Age

  • Patients who are younger than 18-years-old. There is no upper age limit.

Other

  • Patients who cannot speak fluently in English.
  • Patients without an email account or access to an electronic device that could be used for the MS Teams meeting.

Who the study is looking for

  • Patients with persistent major depression
  • Patients who have at least agreed to referral to the Exercise Recovery Group within the previous 24 months
  • Patients who are able to provide informed consent.

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

Sites in registry order. Save your city in your profile to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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NottinghamUnited KingdomUnknown status

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.