Caner YEŞİLOĞLU, Ömer FETTAHLIOĞLU, Lut TAMAM, Mehmet Emin DEMİRKOL, Zeynep NAMLI, Mahmut Onur KARAYTUĞ
Çukurova Anestezi ve Cerrahi Bilimler Dergisi - 2026;9(3):664-675
Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous clinical condition associated with impairments not only in mood and cognition but also in physical functioning. This study aimed to examine the associations of handgrip strength with depression severity, self-esteem, and orthorexic tendencies in individuals with MDD. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 63 patients with MDD and 50 healthy controls. Depression severity was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and orthorexic tendencies using the Orthorexia Nervosa Inventory (ONI). Handgrip strength was measured in kilograms using a digital hand dynamometer according to standard procedures. Because of the strong physiological dependence of handgrip strength on sex, sex-stratified and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: Compared with controls, patients with MDD had significantly higher HAM-D scores and significantly lower RSES scores and handgrip strength. ONI scores did not differ significantly between groups. Within the MDD group, handgrip strength was negatively correlated with depression severity and positively correlated with self-esteem. In sex-stratified analyses, handgrip strength was numerically lower in patients with MDD among both women and men, although the difference reached statistical significance only among men. Sex-standardized handgrip strength was also lower in the MDD group. In the multivariable sensitivity model accounting for sex and body mass index, depression severity remained independently associated with handgrip strength, whereas the association with self-esteem was attenuated. Conclusion: Individuals with MDD showed lower handgrip strength than healthy controls. These findings suggest that handgrip strength may provide complementary information on physical functioning in MDD. However, clinical interpretations should remain cautious because of the cross-sectional design, modest sample size, and possible residual confounding.
