title: Posturographic stabilisation of healthy subjects exposed to full-length mirror image is inversely related to body-image preoccupations.
abstract: Affective states, anxiety in particular, have been shown to negatively influence human postural control efficiency as measured by posturographic means, while exposure to a full-length mirror image of one's body exerts a stabilizing effect. We tested the hypothesis that body image concerns and preoccupations would relate negatively to this stabilising effect. Sixty-six healthy students, who screened negative for psychiatric disorders, completed rating scales for anxiety, depression and body image concerns. Posturography recordings of body sway were taken under three conditions: with eyes closed, looking at a vertical bar and looking at a full-length mirror. The Eyes Open/Mirror Stabilometric Quotient [EOMQ=(sway path with eyes closed/sway path looking at the mirror)x100], an index of how much postural control is stabilized by mirror feedback in comparison to the visual vertical bar condition, was significantly inversely related to body image concerns and preoccupations, and to trait anxiety. This finding confirms the impact of emotional factors on human postural control, which warrant further studies. If confirmed in clinical populations characterized by high levels of body image disturbances, e.g. eating disorders, it could lead to developments in the assessment and monitoring of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience TCR, Section of Psychiatry, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy. galeazzi@unimo.it <galeazzi@unimo.it>
authors.forename: Gian Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monzani
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gherpelli
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Covezzi
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Guaraldi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*