{"title":"Effects of dance-based physical activity on cognitive and psychological health across age groups: a systematic review.","authors":"Yingying Fan, Xutao Liu","doi":"10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1838599","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Dance-based physical activity is a multimodal intervention integrating motor, cognitive, emotional, and social components, and has been increasingly recognized for its potential to enhance cognitive function and mental health. However, evidence regarding its effectiveness across different age groups remains fragmented. This systematic review aimed to synthesize current evidence on the effects of dance-based interventions on cognitive and psychological health across different age groups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261338912). Six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and SPORTDiscus) were systematically searched from database inception to 28 August 2026. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) that examined the effects of dance-based interventions on cognitive and/or psychological outcomes in participants of any age. Due to substantial heterogeneity in intervention types, outcome measures, and study designs, a narrative synthesis was performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 22 studies involving 1,645 participants aged 4 to 94 years were included. Favorable findings were reported for selected cognitive outcomes, including global cognition, memory, and attention, whereas findings for executive function were mixed. Some studies also reported favorable changes in depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, emotional well-being, subjective well-being, and quality of life. However, these findings were not consistent across all studies or outcome measures, and differences in outcome measures and statistical reporting prevented reliable comparison of effect magnitude across studies. Several favorable findings were derived from studies judged to have a high, serious, or critical risk of bias. The evidence was predominantly derived from older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment, whereas evidence involving children, adolescents, and younger or middle-aged adults remained limited and heterogeneous; therefore, definitive comparisons across age groups could not be made.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Current evidence suggests that dance-based physical activity may have favorable effects on selected cognitive and psychological outcomes, with the evidence most extensively derived from older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment. However, methodological heterogeneity, small sample sizes, study-level risk of bias, and limited long-term follow-up restrict the strength of these conclusions. Evidence involving children, adolescents, and younger or middle-aged adults remains insufficient for meaningful comparisons across age groups. Further high-quality trials are needed to determine optimal intervention parameters and clarify the mechanisms underlying the potential cognitive and psychological effects of dance-based physical activity.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD420261338912, CRD420261338912.</p>","PeriodicalId":12525,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Psychology","volume":"17 ","pages":"1838599"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13677549/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1838599","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Dance-based physical activity is a multimodal intervention integrating motor, cognitive, emotional, and social components, and has been increasingly recognized for its potential to enhance cognitive function and mental health. However, evidence regarding its effectiveness across different age groups remains fragmented. This systematic review aimed to synthesize current evidence on the effects of dance-based interventions on cognitive and psychological health across different age groups.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261338912). Six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and SPORTDiscus) were systematically searched from database inception to 28 August 2026. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) that examined the effects of dance-based interventions on cognitive and/or psychological outcomes in participants of any age. Due to substantial heterogeneity in intervention types, outcome measures, and study designs, a narrative synthesis was performed.
Results: A total of 22 studies involving 1,645 participants aged 4 to 94 years were included. Favorable findings were reported for selected cognitive outcomes, including global cognition, memory, and attention, whereas findings for executive function were mixed. Some studies also reported favorable changes in depressive symptoms, anxiety, stress, emotional well-being, subjective well-being, and quality of life. However, these findings were not consistent across all studies or outcome measures, and differences in outcome measures and statistical reporting prevented reliable comparison of effect magnitude across studies. Several favorable findings were derived from studies judged to have a high, serious, or critical risk of bias. The evidence was predominantly derived from older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment, whereas evidence involving children, adolescents, and younger or middle-aged adults remained limited and heterogeneous; therefore, definitive comparisons across age groups could not be made.
Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that dance-based physical activity may have favorable effects on selected cognitive and psychological outcomes, with the evidence most extensively derived from older adults, particularly those with cognitive impairment. However, methodological heterogeneity, small sample sizes, study-level risk of bias, and limited long-term follow-up restrict the strength of these conclusions. Evidence involving children, adolescents, and younger or middle-aged adults remains insufficient for meaningful comparisons across age groups. Further high-quality trials are needed to determine optimal intervention parameters and clarify the mechanisms underlying the potential cognitive and psychological effects of dance-based physical activity.
背景：以舞蹈为基础的身体活动是一种整合运动、认知、情感和社会成分的多模态干预，并因其增强认知功能和心理健康的潜力而日益得到认可。然而，关于其在不同年龄组的有效性的证据仍然不完整。本系统综述旨在综合当前的证据，以舞蹈为基础的干预对不同年龄组的认知和心理健康的影响。方法：本系统评价按照PRISMA 2020指南进行，并在PROSPERO注册（CRD420261338912）。从数据库建立到2026年8月28日，系统检索了六个电子数据库（PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials （Central）和SPORTDiscus）。符合条件的研究包括随机对照试验（RCTs）和对照临床试验（CCTs），这些试验检查了以舞蹈为基础的干预对任何年龄参与者的认知和/或心理结果的影响。由于干预类型、结果测量和研究设计的实质性异质性，进行了叙事综合。结果：共纳入22项研究，涉及1,645名年龄在4至94 岁之间的参与者。在部分认知结果方面，包括全局认知、记忆和注意力，研究结果是有利的，而在执行功能方面，研究结果则是喜忧参半。一些研究还报告了抑郁症状、焦虑、压力、情绪健康、主观健康和生活质量的有利变化。然而，这些发现在所有研究或结果测量中并不一致，结果测量和统计报告的差异阻碍了对研究间效应大小的可靠比较。一些有利的发现来自于被判定具有高、严重或严重偏倚风险的研究。证据主要来自老年人，特别是那些有认知障碍的老年人，而涉及儿童、青少年、年轻人或中年人的证据仍然有限且异质性；因此，无法对各年龄组进行明确的比较。结论：目前的证据表明，以舞蹈为基础的体育活动可能对选定的认知和心理结果有有利影响，证据最广泛地来自老年人，特别是那些有认知障碍的老年人。然而，方法学的异质性、小样本量、研究水平的偏倚风险和有限的长期随访限制了这些结论的强度。涉及儿童、青少年和年轻人或中年人的证据仍然不足，无法对不同年龄组进行有意义的比较。需要进一步的高质量试验来确定最佳干预参数，并阐明基于舞蹈的身体活动潜在认知和心理影响的机制。系统评价注册：https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD420261338912, CRD420261338912。
期刊介绍：
Frontiers in Psychology is the largest journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research across the psychological sciences, from clinical research to cognitive science, from perception to consciousness, from imaging studies to human factors, and from animal cognition to social psychology. Field Chief Editor Axel Cleeremans at the Free University of Brussels is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide. The journal publishes the best research across the entire field of psychology. Today, psychological science is becoming increasingly important at all levels of society, from the treatment of clinical disorders to our basic understanding of how the mind works. It is highly interdisciplinary, borrowing questions from philosophy, methods from neuroscience and insights from clinical practice - all in the goal of furthering our grasp of human nature and society, as well as our ability to develop new intervention methods.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
