Wilkes Carissa, Kydd Rob, Sagar Mark, Broadbent Elizabeth
Dept of Psychological Medicine, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2017 Mar;54:143-149. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.07.015. Epub 2016 Jul 30.
Slumped posture is a diagnostic feature of depression. While research shows upright posture improves self-esteem and mood in healthy samples, little research has investigated this in depressed samples. This study aimed to investigate whether changing posture could reduce negative affect and fatigue in people with mild to moderate depression undergoing a stressful task.
Sixty-one community participants who screened positive for mild to moderate depression were recruited into a study purportedly on the effects of physiotherapy tape on cognitive function. They were randomized to sit with usual posture or upright posture and physiotherapy tape was applied. Participants completed the Trier Social Stress Test speech task. Changes in affect and fatigue were assessed. The words spoken by the participants during their speeches were analysed.
At baseline, all participants had significantly more slumped posture than normative data. The postural manipulation significantly improved posture and increased high arousal positive affect and fatigue compared to usual posture. The upright group spoke significantly more words than the usual posture group, used fewer first person singular personal pronouns, but more sadness words. Upright shoulder angle was associated with lower negative affect and lower anxiety across both groups.
The experiment was only brief and a non-clinical sample was used.
This preliminary study suggests that adopting an upright posture may increase positive affect, reduce fatigue, and decrease self-focus in people with mild-to-moderate depression. Future research should investigate postural manipulations over a longer time period and in samples with clinically diagnosed depression.
slumped姿势是抑郁症的一个诊断特征。虽然研究表明，在健康样本中，挺直姿势可提高自尊和改善情绪，但很少有研究在抑郁症样本中对此进行调查。本研究旨在调查改变姿势是否能减轻轻度至中度抑郁症患者在执行压力任务时的负面影响和疲劳感。
招募了61名社区参与者，他们经筛查为轻度至中度抑郁症阳性，该研究表面上是关于理疗胶带对认知功能的影响。他们被随机分为以通常姿势或挺直姿势就坐，并贴上理疗胶带。参与者完成了特里尔社会压力测试言语任务。评估了情绪和疲劳的变化。分析了参与者在演讲过程中所说的话。
在基线时，所有参与者的姿势比标准数据显示的更明显地呈 slumped状态。与通常姿势相比，姿势操控显著改善了姿势，并增加了高唤醒积极情绪和疲劳感。挺直姿势组比通常姿势组说的话明显更多，使用第一人称单数人称代词更少，但悲伤词汇更多。两组中，挺直的肩部角度与较低的负面影响和较低的焦虑相关。
该实验只是短暂的，且使用的是非临床样本。
这项初步研究表明，对于轻度至中度抑郁症患者，采用挺直姿势可能会增加积极情绪、减轻疲劳并减少自我关注。未来的研究应在更长的时间段内以及在临床诊断为抑郁症的样本中调查姿势操控情况。
