Depression Is Linked to Poor Posture
In one study,28 the investigators found a significant presence of kyphosis during a depressive episode (vs. control) (mean 140°, SD 5° and mean 145°, SD 5°; p<.001) among 34 adults diagnosed with a major depressive disorder. After this group of adults received 8-10 weeks of treatment, the investigators reported an improvement of ~5° in the kyphosis angle was observed in parallel with reduced self-reported depression. In a second study,27 investigators evaluated spine measurements among 72 female adults with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD), and found worse posture measurements (angle measured measured by digital camera) compared to those with a single episode (139.38°, SD=1.19 and 147.13°, SD=1.35; p<0.001). In a third study with 12 adults,23 the investigators’ results provided evidence of: a) medium and large correlations between depression and kyphotic posture (r = 0.36-0.51; p=0.01-0.05) and b) a significant correlation between “usual depression” (defined as a chronic feeling and measured by an analogue scale) and shoulder inclination (r = 0.822; p=0.02).