Clinical Depression and Daily Activity Level

Abstract

Depression has been linked to a number of health problems, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). One link may be depression-related decreases in physical activity. This study was designed to examine physical activity in clinically depressed and never-depressed individuals. Depressed participants were predicted to be less physically active and to exhibit more restlessness than nondepressed individuals. Participants were 20 clinically depressed and 37 never-depressed undergraduates (mean age = 19.7, SD = 2.30). Participants were screened for depressive symptomatology and diagnostic status was confirmed by structured clinical interview. Participants wore an actigraph for 48 hours. A 2 (depressed vs. nondepressed) x 2 (male vs. female) between person ANCOVA was used to test the hypothesis. Depressed individuals were found to significantly exhibit restless behavior; however, they were not significantly less active. Despite the findings, treatment for depression should incorporate physical activity to promote health and reduce CVD risk. Additionally, treatment should encourage relaxation therapies.