Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and suicidal ideation in major depressive disorder

Objective: Identifying risk factors for suicidal ideation (SI) is necessary for suicide prevention. Associations between self-reported physical activity (PA) and sedentary time and SI in the general population have been found. The current study examines these associations in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) using objective measures of PA and sedentary time. Method: Sedentary time and PA were measured with an activPAL inclinometer/accelerometer over 7 days in 52 adults with MDD. Presence and severity of SI was examined with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Multinomial logistic regressions examined associations between accelerometer-derived behaviors and SI classification in the full sample and a subsample experiencing a major depressive episode (MDE). Results: Sedentary time and PA measures were not significantly associated with SI in the full sample. In those experiencing an MDE, higher light ambulatory PA was associated with lower odds of reporting Low SI compared to None and for Moderate/High SI compared to None. Sedentary time was not significantly associated with SI severity. Conclusion: Sedentary time and PA were not associated with SI severity, although results could be due to the small sample size. The small effect found for the subsample may suggest that low levels of light ambulatory PA may be a modifiable risk factor for SI during an MDE. We also demonstrated the feasibility of collecting objective data with accelerometers in this population. Future studies are needed to replicate findings to determine whether increasing light ambulatory PA could be useful in suicide prevention during an MDE.HighlightsLight physical activity was associated with lower odds of suicidal ideation.Suicidal ideation was not associated with sedentary or moderate-to-high activity.It is possible to collect objective data for adults with depression.