MAXIMAL EXERCISE AND ACUTE MOOD RESPONSE IN WOMEN

The present study was designed to characterize and assess the reliabil ity of acute mood responses to maximal exercise in women. All subjects (N = 22; age = 45 +/- 2.5 yr; BMI = 24.3 +/- 0.9 kg/m(2)) participate d in two maximal walking tests spaced approximately one month apart. T he abbreviated Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire was adminis tered immediately prior to and within 5 min following maximal exercise at both occasions. Maximal heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and functional aerobic capacity responses indicated compliance to maxi mal exertion at both tests. Using repeated measures ANOVA, no signific ant (p < .05) differences were noted between the two tests for any of the POMS subscales. Significant pre to postexercise increases were not ed for fatigue and self-esteem subscales while the tension and vigor a ffects significantly decreased. Because no interactions were found, th ese effects are concluded to be independent of the order in which the tests were performed. Additionally, intraclass correlations computed f or each respective POMS subscale, ranged between 0.69 and 0.81 for fat igue, tension, vigor, self-esteem, confusion, and total mood disturban ce. The anger and depression subscales were noted to have intraclass c orrelations of 0.29 and 0.43, respectively, and may have been influenc ed by a floor effect in this study population. It is concluded that th e abbreviated POMS questionnaire may be reliably used to assess acute mood responses to maximal exercise in women and that even maximal exer tion has the potential to acutely benefit mood by decreasing tension a nd increasing self-esteem.