Correlation analysis between physical and psychological factors on cervical spine alignment in university students

Objective: The number of patients with forward head posture is increasing because of poor long-termposture, which can lead to mental and musculoskeletal changes. This studyaimed to analyze the correlation between physical and psychological factors in university students with forward head posture. Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Methods: The participants were 64 university students who were assessed for physical factors, such as cervical alignment, neck flexor endurance, suboccipital muscle tone, and postural balance, and psychological factors, such as sleep quality and stress. Cervical spine alignment was assessed based on the craniovertebral angle using a smartphone, whereas neck flexor endurance was assessed using a deep neck flexor muscle endurance test. Suboccipital muscle tone was measured using a Myoton PRO device, and postural balance was assessed using the Y-balance test. Sleep quality and stress was measured using the general sleep disturbanc scale and stress response inventory, respectively. Results: The results showed that there was a significant correlation between thecraniovertebral angle and stress response inventory (p<0.05); however, nocorrelation was found between the other factors (p>0.05). Conclusions: This study showed a correlation between cervical spine alignment and stress.