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Effect of Combining Physical Activity and Functional Imagery on Psychomotor and Sleep Quality in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Psychiatry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Numerous studies have shown that physical activity can serve as an effective therapeutic intervention for depression. However, recent research has emphasized the importance of integrating psychological techniques such as functional imagery into exercise programs. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of a combined program of physical activity and functional imagery on psychomotor indices and sleep quality in individuals with major depressive disorder.
Methods: In this clinical trial, 60 patients with major depressive disorder (mean age = 32.92 years, SD = 4.7) were randomly assigned to three groups: a physical activity group, a combined group (physical activity and functional imagery), and a control group. All participants were evaluated at four stages: pretest, an 8‑week intervention, posttest, and a 1‑month follow‑up. The measured variables included depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and reaction time (Nelson Movement Speed Test). Data were analyzed using two‑way mixed analysis of variance (within‑subjects factors: pretest, posttest, and follow‑up; between‑subjects factors: physical activity, combined, and control) and Bonferroni post hoc tests.
Results: The results showed that the combined group significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety and improved reaction time compared to the control group. Both intervention groups were effective in reducing depressive symptoms, but only the combined group was effective in improving sleep quality.
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the combination of physical activity and functional imagery is a comprehensive and effective therapeutic approach for depression. This method not only alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety but also improves psychomotor indices. The results of this study could contribute to improving treatment programs for patients with major depressive disorder.

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References
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Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning
Volume 18, Issue 1
April 2026
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  • Receive Date: 03 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 18 August 2025
  • Accept Date: 22 August 2025
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