James Wesly Whitworth

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | VA · National Center for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)

Objective Emerging evidence suggests that exercise may have beneficial effects on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and that this relationship may be indirectly affected by sleep, pain, and alcohol/substance use. The present study examined the longitudinal direct and indirect effects of exercise on PTSD symptoms. Method A national sample of 18...

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prominent mental health issue for many military veterans. Recent evidence from nonveteran populations with PTSD suggests that exercise may be a potential treatment option. As such, the purpose of this review was to (1) provide the rationale for the use of exercise in the treatment of veterans with PTSD and...

Observational research has consistently reported an inverse relationship between exercise and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the majority of these studies have compared individuals with and without PTSD, and very few have measured the symptoms of PTSD or its severity. In fact, no study has examined the relationship between exercise...

Background: Little research focuses on physical health outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among post-9/11 women veterans (WVs). This study examined lifetime TBI, current PTSD, and their associations with biomarkers of cardiometabolic health, sleep, pain, and functional disability among post-9/11 WVs. M...

Over 20 million Americans are living with a substance use disorder (SUD) and nearly 100,000 die annually from drug overdoses, with a majority involving an opioid. Many people with SUD have co-occurring chronic pain and/or a mental health disorder. Exercise is a frontline treatment for chronic pain and is an effective strategy for reducing depressio...

Women living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face significant co-occurring mental health concerns and behavioral risk factors (e.g., poor sleep). Increasing evidence demonstrates that exercise can positively impact diverse health-related domains among populations with PTSD, yet analyses which examine these conditions among women are rare....

This study examined sex-specific associations between sexual violence (SV) type and physical activity, and identified associations between PTSD symptoms and physical activity, all among cisgender men and women survivors of SV. Cross sectional data from men (n= 197) and women (n= 356) survivors of SV were analyzed with stratified (men; women) hierar...

Background Latinas are disproportionately affected by low physical activity (PA) levels and related health conditions (e.g., diabetes, obesity). Few Latinas in the U.S. (17%) meet the National PA Guidelines for both aerobic PA and muscle-strengthening activity (MSA), yet, research to date in this population has focused almost exclusively on aerobic...

There is a growing amount of experimental evidence demonstrating therapeutic chronic effects of exercise (e.g., resistance exercise, running, and walking) on PTSD symptoms. However, it is currently unclear how individuals with PTSD experience exercise within individual exercise sessions (e.g., pleasurable or distressing), and if these acute experie...

Introduction: Military service members disproportionately experience sexual violence (SV) and its related health concerns. Although recent work has shown physical activity to be an effective strategy for improving physical and mental health among trauma-exposed military populations, little of this work has focused specifically on military service...

Objective Latent class modeling (LCM) offers a promising approach for examining correlates of heart rate (HR) patterns over multiple exercise sessions. This research examined biological and psychological variables associated with different patterns of HR response to physical activity (PA). Methods In a three-arm randomized controlled trial (exerci...

Objective: Latent class modeling (LCM) offers a promising approach for examining correlates of heart rate (HR) patterns over multiple exercise sessions. This research examined biological and psychological variables associated with different patterns of HR response to physical activity (PA). Methods: In a three-arm RCT (exercise video games vs. stan...

Background Depression is under-recognized in Black men, who are less likely to seek or have access to psychiatric treatment. Resistance training (RT; i.e., weight lifting) can improve depressive symptoms and may be more acceptable to Black men, but its effects have not been examined for Black men with depressive symptoms. Methods Fifty Black men w...

Background Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress are highly prevalent and comorbid with health problems. Despite the apparent systemic nature of posttraumatic stress, recommended treatments neglect trauma's deleterious effects on health. Integrative mind-body treatments for posttraumatic stress, such as Tai Chi and Qigong (TCQ), may offer a prom...

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with physical inactivity and cigarette smoking. However, little is known about the degree to which comorbid psychiatric conditions affect the odds of physical inactivity and smoking among individuals with PTSD. Objective: To examine associations between PTSD, comorbid psychiatric condit...

This study utilizes the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) experimental medicine approach to evaluate the effects of a 3-month, individually prescribed progressive exercise training program on neurobiological, cognitive and motivational mechanisms by which our exercise-training paradigm may foster exercise maintenance. We will investigate hypothesiz...

Aims: To demonstrate that early adolescent binge drinking (BD) increases the risk for and/or severity of psychopathology in post-9/11 Veterans and determine if mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) modifies risk. Methods: Post-9/11 Veterans (n = 375) were classified into two groups: 57 Veterans with a history of early adolescent BD (E-BD; age of on...

SantaBarbara, NJ, Nosrat, S, Whitworth, JW, Ciccolo, JT. acute psychological effects of resistance exercise in men with symptoms of muscle dysmorphia: A pilot study. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-This study tested the acute psychological effects of resistance exercise in men with symptoms of muscle dysmorphia. Twenty-one men completed 4...

Introduction Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and physical inactivity. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), which is modifiable by physical activity, is a strong independent predictor of cardiometabolic health. However, the relationship between CRF and cardiometabolic he...

Emerging evidence suggests that exercise may beneficially affect posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), but few randomized trials exist. Additionally, the effects of resistance exercise (i.e., weight lifting or strength training) on PTSS have not been thoroughly examined. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of a brief high-intensity resistan...

Depressive symptoms and fatigue are prevalent among people living with human immunodeficiency virus. Resistance exercise is known to stimulate a positive affective response. Objective: To examine the acute psychological effects of resistance-exercise intensity among Black/African-American people living with human immunodeficiency virus and experi...

Purpose: Posttraumatic stress is disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychological condition that often causes chronic sleep issues. Exercise has beneficial effects on sleep in healthy individuals. However, little is known about the effects exercise on sleep in individuals with PTSD. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of a res...

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychological disorder that has profound negative health effects. For instance, PTSD can cause or contribute to poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and hazardous alcohol use. Recent research suggests that exercise may beneficially affect PTSD; however, most of this research has fo...

This chapter provides an up-to-date and critical review of the research testing the effects of exercise on the psychological constructs of self-concept and self-esteem and on feelings of energy and fatigue. It discusses the approaches taken in the literature and theoretical models used to test these concepts. The chapter then presents the research...

Introduction: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychological disorder that affects about 7% of adults in the United States. PTSD and its symptoms have consistently been shown to have an inverse relationship with exercise participation. The strongest reported associations have been between high intensity exercise, and the hyperaro...

Objective Mental illness is highly prevalent among people living with HIV. Poor mental health is linked to HIV disease progression, making the treatment of mental illness alongside HIV essential. While the benefits of exercise on the physical health of people living with HIV are well established, the effect of exercise on mental health in this popu...

The purpose of this systematic review was to identify and appraise the literature that has specifically tested the independent effects of resistance training (i.e., weight lifting) on body image in adults. A comprehensive search through December 2016 of electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, PsycNET, and Web of Science for relevant studies published...

Background and objective: Young adults frequently engage in hazardous alcohol consumption, and many meet the diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder. The urge to drink is a defining symptom of alcohol dependence, and it is closely tied to and exacerbated by negative affect. This study examined the acute effect of resistance exercise on aff...

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of utilizing a smartphone based application to monitor compliance in patients with cardiac disease around discharge. For 60 days after discharge, patients' medication compliance, physical activity, follow-up care, symptoms, and reading of education material were monitored...

Background Despite recent declines, cigarette smoking remains prevalent among individuals with lower income, less education, and those with mental illness or HIV. Exercise is promoted as a quitting aid; however, the evidence for this recommendation is equivocal. To date, the majority of studies have only examined aerobic exercise; there is a poor u...