The influence of the practice of the ballroom dance on depression levels in the elderly

Abstract

Ballroom dancing can be an ally in the treatment of depression, since it produces physical, psychological, and social benefits; in which the elderly reveal their greatest needs and weaknesses. It is necessary to rethink the lifestyle of the elderly population, developing intervention strategies that will contribute to this population have a positive trajectory of agin. The objective of this study was to verify the influence of the time of regular practice of ballroom dancing in the levels of depression in the elderly.This study included 51 elderly of both genders. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Mini Mental and depression by Beck Inventory. The normality of the data was verified and used a correlation test between depression and other independent variables. None voluntary presented cognitive impairment. Depression presented a score of 11.25 points (mild depression) and factors such as: "being professionally inactive", "go through recent tragic situation" and "suffer from some currently disease" pointed to a greater predisposition to depression. The time to regular dance practice showed a negative and significant correlation with depression (r = -0.54; p≤0,01). It is concluded that regular practice of ballroom dancing is an alternative tool for the treatment of depression.