The Impact of Physical Exercise on Reducing the Anxiety of Sensation-Seeking Disabled Veterans

Sensation-seeking is defined as various, complex, novel and unprecedented experiences and feelings and the tendency to take risks. It is one of the few fundamental traits that explain personality.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise on reducing the anxiety of sensation-seeking disabled veterans. Initially, Marvin Zuckerman's sensation-seeking questionnaire was distributed among 300 disabled veterans in Isfahan province, Iran to identify those with high sensation-seeking. Based on the scores obtained from this questionnaire, a group of 175 veterans with high sensation-seeking was selected. From among them, 30 people were selected using the simple random sampling method and divided into an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). To assess the anxiety of the disabled veterans, the Cattell Anxiety Scale was administered to both groups. Then the experimental group was engaged in regular physical exercise for one month. The control group followed their daily activities during the training period and did not start any regular sports activities. At the end of the exercise period, the Cattell Anxiety Scale was administered to both groups again.

The results of covariance analysis showed that exercise has a significant effect on reducing the anxiety of sensation-seeking disabled veterans (P = 0.05; F = 38.4).

These findings are an indication of adaptation and reduction of anxiety in the experimental group. Therefore, regular exercise can reduce anxiety and increase the adaptation of sensation-seeking disabled veterans. It is recommended that these exercises be included in the daily training programs of disabled veterans.