Ballroom dance as a buffer against academic stress-induced anxiety in chinese adolescents

Abstract

Ballroom dance, a socially interactive form of physical activity, is a promising strategy for alleviating adolescents' anxiety stemming from academic stress. However, previous research has largely focused on individual forms of exercise, overlooked integrated psychological and physiological assessments, lacked longitudinal evidence on the sustainability of interventions and their stress-buffering effects during periods of acute academic stress, and insufficiently examined the consistency of these effects across gender and grade levels among Chinese adolescents. To address these limitations, a four-wave longitudinal randomized controlled trial (RCT) was performed with 120 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.02, SD = 0.81, 52.5% girls), who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (12-week structured ballroom dance intervention) or a control group (regular campus life). Psychological anxiety (GAD-7) and physiological stress (salivary cortisol) were assessed at T0 (baseline), T1 (mid-intervention, during high academic stress), T2 (post-intervention), and T3 (4week follow-up). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and independent-samples t-tests, showing that the experimental group exhibited significant and sustained reductions in both GAD-7 scores and salivary cortisol levels from T0 to T3, with pronounced decreases at T1 supporting a stress-buffering effect; these benefits persisted at T3 without rebound, and no significant differences were observed across gender or grade subgroups. These findings confirm the effectiveness of ballroom dance in alleviating academic stressinduced anxiety among Chinese adolescents, highlighting its robust stress-buffering function and long-term stability. The study provides empirical evidence for a feasible non-pharmacological intervention, enriches the literature on the mental health benefits of social, interactive physical activities, and offers practical implications for promoting mental health in school settings.