REVIEW article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychology of Aging
The Impact of Dance on the Mental Health of Older Adults: A Network Meta-Analysis of Anxiety, Depression and Well-being
Provisionally accepted
- Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
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Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO CRD420251015051) compared the effects of nine distinct dance interventions on the mental health of older adults. Methods: Six databases were searched from the earliest records to April 2025.Studies investigating a dance intervention lasting≥4 weeks, including Mental Health and cognitive function health outcomes. Two independent reviewers performed literature screening and data extraction. Review Manager 5.4 was used for pairwise meta-analyses and risk of bias assessment, while Stata 18.0 software was employed for network meta-analyses. Results: Of 269 records identified, 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Total sample size of included studies was 1083 (females, males). The results of the traditional meta-analysis showed that Chinese square dance was superior to the control group in alleviating depression (SMD = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.48, 1.75). For well-being, Chinese square dance was superior to the control group in enhancing well-being (SMD = -1.98, 95% CI: -2.55, -1.41). For anxiety, Chinese square dance was superior to the control group in alleviating anxiety (SMD = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.65, 1.76). For cognitive function, no significant differences were found. In the network meta-analysis, the ranking of treatment effects for depression showed that dance games > Chinese square dance > rhythmic gymnastics > Turkish folk dance > Poco Poco dance > ballroom dance > aerobic dance > control group> creative dance. The ranking of treatment effects for well-being showed that Chinese square dance > aerobic dance > Turkish folk dance > control group. The ranking of treatment effects for anxiety showed that Chinese square dance = group dance > Poco Poco dance > control group, while for cognitive function, the ranking showed Poco Poco dance > Chinese square dance > creative dance > control group. Conclusion: This study found that dance has positive effects on improving depression and anxiety whilst enhancing well-being among older adults. Among the nine different types of dance interventions, it was considered an effective approach for improving depression, well-being, and anxiety. However, we encourage older adults to choose dance modalities that suit their interests to enhance adherence.
Keywords: older adults, dance, Anxiety, Depression, Well-being, Mental Health
Received: 28 Oct 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yuexin Zhang, 2025110023@bsu.edu.cn
Hongtao Ma, zz31337117@gmail.com
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