Figure 1.
Figure 2:
Effectiveness of Baduanjin Combined with Pharmacological Intervention
| Authors (Year) | Study Population | Intervention Protocol | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suo and Yu (2016) | Perimenopausal women | Received Chinese herbal medicine, plus Baduanjin practice (60 minutes/session, once daily) for 3 months. | In the experimental group, the HAMD score decreased significantly from 27.20 ± 3.04 to 11.38 ± 3.61 after the intervention (P < 0.01). |
| Xiao et al. (2024) | Patients with chronic heart failure and comorbid depression | Received Chinese herbal medicine, plus Baduanjin (3 sessions/week for 4 weeks in hospital, followed by 2 months of home practice). | The experimental group showed a significant reduction in the HAMD score from 18.62 ± 3.02 to 10.23 ± 3.88 after the intervention (P < 0.05). |
| Yang et al. (2021) | Patients with depression and comorbid insomnia | Received pharmacotherapy, plus Baduanjin (30 minutes/session, twice daily) for 8 weeks. | A significant decrease in the HAMD score was observed in the experimental group, from 25.03 ± 5.05 to 11.55 ± 5.54 following the intervention (P < 0.01). |
| Zhang et al. (2017) | Patients with depression | Received pharmacotherapy, plus Baduanjin (30 minutes/session, twice daily) for 6 weeks. | In the experimental group, the HAMD score decreased significantly from 35.8 ± 6.2 to 8.2 ± 2.2 after the intervention (P < 0.05). |
Intervention Studies on the Prevention and Treatment of Depression with Baduanjin
| No. | Author Information | Participant Population (n) | Experimental Groups (n) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jing et al. (2018) | Homebound older adults | A1: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group | A2: Baduanjin Group | A3: Combined Intervention Group |
| 2 | Li and Luo (2024) | Patients with chronic cor pulmonale | A1: Routine Care Group | A2: Baduanjin Group | |
| 3 | Li et al. (2022) | Patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis | A1: Chinese Herbal Medicine Group | A2: Baduanjin Group | A3: Combined Intervention Group |
| 4 | Lv et al. (2022) | Patients with depression | A1: Conventional Muscle Relaxation Group | A2: Baduanjin Group | |
| 5 | Ma et al. (2023) | Patients in the convalescent phase of COVID-19 | A1: Conventional Medical Care Group | A2: Usual Care plus Baduanjin Group | |
| 6 | Suo and Yu (2016) | Perimenopausal women | A1: Conventional Therapy Group | A2: Chinese Herbal Medicine plus Baduanjin Group | |
| 7 | Tan and Tan (2020) | University students with mild to moderate depression | A1: Usual Daily Activity Group | A2: Baduanjin Group | |
| 8 | Wang et al. (2021) | Patients with COVID-19 | A1: Conventional Medical Care Group | A2: Usual Care plus Baduanjin and Five-Element Music Therapy Group(n=30/30) | |
| 9 | Wang et al. (2023) | Asymptomatic individuals with COVID-19 infection (n=200) | A1: Conventional Medical Care Group | A2: Usual Care plus Integrated Baduanjin and Five-Element Music Therapy Group | |
| 10 | We et al. | University students (n=152) | A1: Baduanjin Course Group | A2: Conventional Physical Education Course Group | |
| 11 | Xiao et al. (2024) | Patients with chronic heart failure and comorbid depression | A1: Western Medication Group | A2: Chinese Herbal Medicine Group | A3: Integrated Chinese Herbal Medicine and Baduanjin Group |
| 12 | Yan et al. (2024) | Patients with moderate depression (n=40) | A1: Western Medication Group | A2: Combined Baduanjin and Relaxation Qigong Group | |
| 13 | Yang et al. (2021) | Patients with depression and comorbid insomnia (n=58) | A1: Western Medication Group | A2: Pharmacotherapy plus Baduanjin Group | |
| 14 | Yang et al. (2024) | Patients with schizophrenia in the recovery phase (n=100) | A1: Baduanjin Group | A2: Integrated Baduanjin and MBSR Group | |
| 15 | Ye & Wang (2024) | Patients with major depressive disorder (n=50) | A1: Conventional Medical Care Group | A2: Usual Care plus Adjunctive Baduanjin Group | |
| 16 | Zhang et al. (2017) | Patients with depression | A1: Western Medication Group | A2: Pharmacotherapy plus Adjunctive Baduanjin Group | |
Effectiveness of Baduanjin as a Single Intervention
| Authors (Year) | Study Population | Intervention Protocol | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li et al. (2022) | Patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis | 5 sessions/week, 45 minutes/session, for 16 weeks (with initial professional guidance). | After the 16-week intervention, the Baduanjin group's SDS score decreased significantly from a baseline of 50.03 ± 1.85 to 47.06 ± 1.81 at week 16, with a mean reduction of 2.96 points (p < 0.05). |
| Lv et al. (2022) | Patients with depression | 1 session/day, 60 minutes/session, for 6 weeks. | After six weeks of intervention, the depression level (HAMD) in the Baduanjin group was significantly lower than that in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.01). |
| Tan and Tan (2020) | University students with mild to moderate depression | 5 sessions/week, 40 minutes/session, for one academic year. | After one academic year of intervention, the SDS score in the Baduanjin group decreased significantly from 60.06 ± 4.63 to 57.80 ± 4.27 (P < 0.01). |
| Wei et al. (2024) | University students | 1 session/week, 90 minutes/session, for 18 weeks. | The PHQ-9 score in the control group decreased significantly from 7.54 ± 3.03 to 5.41 ± 4.11 (P < 0.01). |
Effectiveness of Baduanjin Combined with Other Interventions
| Authors (Year) | Study Population | Intervention Protocol | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ma et al. (2023) | Patients in the convalescent phase of COVID-19 | Received routine care plus Baduanjin exercise (15 minutes/session, twice daily) for 10 days. | The intervention significantly reduced PHQ-9 scores from 15.54±2.68 to 10.03±1.25 in the observation group, showing greater improvement than the control group (P<0.01). |
| Wang et al. (2021) | Patients with COVID-19 | Received routine care plus Baduanjin exercise (30 minutes/session, twice daily) combined with Five-Element Music therapy (30 minutes/session, twice daily) for 14 days. | Post-intervention HAMD scores decreased significantly in the observation group and were lower than the control group (21±4 vs observation group's final score, P<0.05). |
| Wang et al. (2023) | Asymptomatic individuals with COVID-19 infection | Received routine care plus Baduanjin exercise (30 minutes/session, twice daily) combined with Five-Element Music therapy (30 minutes/session, four times daily) for 7 days. | PHQ-9 scores reduced from 5.6±5.3 to 1.4±2.7 in the treatment group, with a between-group difference of 3.6 points versus controls (4.0±4.1, P<0.001). |
| Yan et al. (2024) | Patients with moderate depression | Received routine care plus Baduanjin exercise (40 minutes/session, once daily) combined with Relaxation Exercise (20 minutes/session, once daily) for 6 weeks. | HAMD scores decreased from 24.75±4.62 to 6.55±3.44 (P<0.01) in the intervention group, with a total effective rate of 95.0%. |
| Ye & Wang (2024) | Patients with major depressive disorder | Received routine care plus Baduanjin exercise for 12 weeks (45 minutes/session, 3 times/week with instructor for first 4 weeks; self-practice thereafter). | The combined group showed significant reduction in HAMD scores from 1.28±0.99 to 1.19±0.11 (P=0.001). |
Effectiveness of Baduanjin Combined with Psychological Intervention
| Authors (Year) | Study Population | Intervention Protocol | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jing et al. (2018) | Homebound older adults | A 6-month integrated Baduanjin and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol, including bi-weekly home visits (1–1.5 hours/session) during the first 3 months, followed by monthly sessions in the maintenance phase. | The joint intervention group showed a Significant Reduction in the Depression score from 5.90 ± 2.43 to 3.46 ± 1.75 after the 6-month intervention (P < 0.05). |
| Li and Luo (2024) | Patients with chronic cor pulmonale | A 2-month combined regimen of TCM emotional nursing and Baduanjin exercise, delivered once daily (30 minutes/session) in addition to standard care. | The combined intervention significantly reduced the SDS score from 56.81 ± 4.78 to 41.74 ± 4.74, demonstrating a greater improvement in depressive symptoms compared to routine care alone (P < 0.05). |
| Yang et al. (2024) | Patients with schizophrenia in the recovery phase | An 8-week integrated intervention comprising daily 30-minute Baduanjin practice combined with 20-minute MBSR sessions administered five times per week. | The combined intervention significantly reduced SDS depression scores from 60.53±4.41 to 47.55±3.39, demonstrating superior improvement compared to the single-intervention group (P<0.001). |