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Published on: March 11, 2021
Handwriting process variables among elderly people with mild Major Depressive Disorder: a preliminary study
Sara Rosenblum1, Perla Werner, Tal Dekel
1Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. rosens@research.haifa.ac.il
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
|May 5, 2010
Summary
Computerized handwriting analysis revealed significant differences in pressure and timing in elderly individuals with mild Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) compared to controls. This objective method shows potential for assessing functional deficits in depression.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Elderly individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) often experience cognitive impairment and functional deficits.
- Objective, performance-based evaluations of functional deficits in this population are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine functional handwriting performance in elderly patients with mild MDD using a computerized system.
- To compare handwriting kinematics between individuals with mild MDD and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Twenty elderly participants with mild MDD and 20 matched controls completed four functional writing tasks.
- A computerized system recorded kinematic measures: in-air time (temporal), stroke width (spatial), and pressure applied.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant differences were found between groups across temporal, spatial, and pressure measures.
- Handwriting pressure differed significantly between mild MDD and control groups in all four tasks.
- Handwriting measures correlated with Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, correctly classifying 84.2% of participants.
Conclusions:
- Computerized handwriting analysis is sensitive to functional performance alterations in mild MDD.
- Handwriting process measures correlate with cognitive impairment and depression severity.
- This method offers theoretical importance and practical implications for assessing functional deficits in elderly depression.
