Postural control in individuals with mental disorders: A systematic review and META-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Some evidence suggests that people with mental disorders presents postural balances, but there is a scarcity of meta-analyses summarizing the evidence comparing posture of people with mental disorders with paired controls.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence comparing postural balance between individuals with mental disorders and healthy controls.

METHODS

We searched databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, SportDiscus and Web of Science) from inception until June 3, 2025, for studies comparing postural balance, assessed by center of pressure (COP), in people with and without mental disorders. The primary outcome was the COP in different axes (X and Y), assessed under multiple conditions (eyes open/close, feet apart/together). Random effects meta-analyses calculated the mean differences (MD) between groups Whenever relevant; heterogeneity was explored by meta-regression and subgroup analyses. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS). The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024554769).

FINDINGS: 33 studies were included, totaling 2.601 participants (1.424 with mental disorders [mean age = 39.30 ± 10.54 years, 43.05 % women] and 1.177 controls [mean age = 39.68 ± 10.35, 50.44 % women]. People with mental disorders showed greater COP area sway in the feet apart and eyes open (N = 12, MD = 0.20, 95 %CI 0.07, 0.32, I2 = 62.67) and eyes closed conditions (N = 8, MD = 0.42, 95 %CI 0.15, 0.69, I2 = 59.10) compared to controls. The majority of studies (96.96 %) had a low or moderate risk of bias.

INTERPRETATION: Individuals with mental disorders show alterations in postural balance compared to healthy controls.