Abstract
This multicenter research investigates the effects of dance movement therapy (DMT) on participants diagnosed with depression. In total, 109 persons participated in the study in various locations in Finland. The participants were 39 years old, on average (range = 18–64 years), and most were female (96%). All participants received treatment as usual (TAU). They were randomized into DMT + TAU (n = 52) or TAU only (n = 57). The participants in the DMT + TAU group were offered 20 DMT sessions twice a week for 10 weeks in addition to standard care. The measurement points included pretreatment measurement at the baseline, posttreatment measurement at the end of the intervention, and a follow-up measurement 3 months afterward. The observed effects of the intervention among participants in the DMT+TAU group were a greater reduction in depression and in indicators of physical and psychological distress in comparison to the participants who received TAU-only. At the 3-month follow-up, the corrected between-group effect sizes (ESs) were medium and in favor of the DMT + TAU group (d = 0.60–0.72). These results are in line with the increasing number of research studies showing the benefits of DMT intervention among participants with depression, and these results indicate that DMT may improve the effectiveness of standard care.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04421651.
Highlights
The debilitating condition of depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability in the adult population worldwide, and the prevalence of depression has increased between 2005 and 2015 by over 18% (WHO, 20171)
Of the demographic characteristics considered, only the use of antidepressant medication was related to lower scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-I and Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation— Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) measures and to higher age
The main finding of this study shows that for participants with depression, attending a dance movement therapy (DMT) group, in addition to treatment as usual (TAU), can reduce their depression symptoms, as well as other psychological and physical symptoms, more so than by receiving TAU only
Summary
The debilitating condition of depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability in the adult population worldwide, and the prevalence of depression has increased between 2005 and 2015 by over 18% (WHO, 20171). DMT in the Treatment of Depression been the leading cause of work disability retirements since year 2000, and among the mental health problems, depression has been the most prevalent (Findikaattori, 20192). DMT works in the sphere of embodiment and the integral relationship that the body has to the functioning of the mind (Homann, 2017; Payne et al, 2019). In the work during the therapy session, the careful balancing of breathing, moving/expressing, and feeling/sensing is essential (Caldwell, 2017)
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