Walking on the bright side: Associations between affect, depression, and gait

Abstract

Background Psychomotor change is a core symptom of depression and one of the criteria in diagnosing depressive disorders. Research suggests depressed individuals demonstrate deviations in gait, or walking, compared to non-depressed controls. However, studies are sparse, often limited to older adults and observational gait assessment. It is also unclear if gait changes are due to dysregulation of affect, a core feature of depression. The current study addressed this gap by investigating the relation between positive and negative affect, depressive symptom severity, and gait in young adults. Methods Using three-dimensional motion capture, gait parameters (velocity, stride length, and step time) were attained from 90 young adults during a task where they walked ten meters at their own pace overground in a laboratory for ten minutes. Self-report measures of mood and affect were collected. Results On average, the study population reported high negative and low positive affect. Contrary to our hypotheses, hierarchical regressions demonstrated no significant associations between gait parameters and affective or depressive symptoms (ps>.05). Conclusions Our findings do not support a relation between affective symptoms and gait parameters. The results may indicate age-dependent gait pathology or that other symptoms of depression may influence gait more strongly than affect. They may also reflect an observational bias of gait changes in depressed young adults, one that is unsupported by objective data. Replication is warranted to further examine whether affective symptomology is embodied via gait differences in young adults.

Qigong Training Positively Impacts Both Posture and Mood in Breast Cancer Survivors With Persistent Post-surgical Pain: Support for an Embodied Cognition Paradigm

“…The interdependence of posture and anxiety is exhibited in a rich body of observational and experimental studies linking fall-related anxiety and acrophobia (fear of heights), neuromusculoskeletal physiology, and whole-body postural control ( Adkin and Carpenter, 2018 ). This latter body of research supports a broader leveraging of the embodied cognitive framework to include studies linking affective states to whole body dynamic postural control, both in laboratory settings using camera-based motion capture systems such as the Vicon system used in this study ( Michalak et al, 2009 , 2015 ; Kumar et al, 2021 ), as well in real world environments using wearable sensors that may inform dimensions of embodied cognition while individuals engage in practical everyday activities ( Shull et al, 2014 ; Benson et al, 2018 ; Nouredanesh et al, 2021 ).…”

Variability and symmetry of gait kinematics under dual-task performance of older patients with depression

“…DP were on average 13 cm smaller than HC. Previous studies showed that depressive symptoms were associated with smaller body height [39] and that larger body height results in larger speed and stride length [40]. Although correction for leg length did not change our overall conclusions, the difference in height-despite exact measurement-remains striking.…”

Effect of COVID-19 on Musculoskeletal Performance in Gait and the Timed-Up and Go Test

“…Kinetics and muscle activity differ between individuals who recovered from COVID-19 compared with healthy controls [ 18 ]. Additionally, post-COVID-19 related symptoms, such as dizziness or depression, affect gait changes and sit-to-stand tasks [ 22 , 23 ].…”