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Life sciences · Journal article
European Journal of Multidisciplinary Health Sciences · August 31, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This bibliometric study maps the research landscape on depression and exercise in older adults by analysing 53 English-language publications indexed in Web of Science, documenting publication growth, key journals, authors, and institutions. It is a descriptive inventory of the field rather than evidence of intervention efficacy and does not evaluate clinical outcomes or treatment effects.
Bibliometric analysis of indexed publications. English-language publications indexed in Web of Science Core Collection addressing depression, exercise, and older adults.. n = 53. International; USA and England identified as highest in publication output; USA and Germany highest in citation counts..
53 publications identified, with earliest publication in 2007 and highest output in 2010 and 2021 421 authors contributed with average citations per publication of 57.11 Most productive journals: American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Journal of Affective Disorders, and Aging & Mental Health
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
This analysis does not directly inform clinical practice regarding depression treatment in older adults. It identifies research trends and productive institutions but does not synthesize or appraise the clinical evidence from the underlying studies.
This is a bibliometric analysis describing publication trends and patterns in a research field, not a clinical trial or systematic review of intervention efficacy; it generates descriptive insights about the literature itself rather than evidence about depression-exercise interventions.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
This analysis does not directly inform clinical practice regarding depression treatment in older adults. It identifies research trends and productive institutions but does not synthesize or appraise the clinical evidence from the underlying studies.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Depression is a common mental disorder worldwide and significantly affects older adults. Considering the potential role of exercise in depression management, examining research trends in this field using bibliometric methods is important. Accordingly, this study aimed to provide a systematic overview of the development of the literature by analysing English-language publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection using search terms related to depression, exercise, and older adults, without applying publication-year restrictions.A total of 53 publications identified through the search conducted on 1 March 2026 were analysed using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. The earliest publication on depression and exercise in older adults was published in 2007, and publication output fluctuated over time. The highest numbers of publications were recorded in 2010 and 2021. A total of 421 authors contributed to the publications, and the average number of citations per publication was 57.11. The most productive journals were the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, the Journal of Affective Disorders, and Aging & Mental Health. Based on local citation counts, the most highly cited study was “Effects of Exercise on Electroencephalographic Mean Frequency in Depressed Elderly Subjects,” published by Silveira et al. in 2010. The USA and England ranked highest in publication output, whereas the USA and Germany ranked highest in citation counts. The most productive institutions were King’s College London and the University of Genoa, while the most prominent authors were Amore M., Murri M.B., and Zanetidou S. The most frequently used keywords were “depression,” “physical activity,” “exercise,” “geriatric,” and “aerobic exercise.”In conclusion, scientific output on exercise in the management of depression in older adults has generally increased and developed across several disciplines. Further research involving broader international collaboration and more diverse geographical settings is needed.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.