Mental health, stress, and resilience correlates of heart rate variability among military reservists, guardsmen, and first responders

2020 ◽  
Vol 214 ◽  
pp. 112734
Author(s):  
Laurel L. Hourani ◽  
Maria I. Davila ◽  
Jessica Morgan ◽  
Sreelatha Meleth ◽  
Derek Ramirez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
First Responders ◽  
Military Reservists

scholarly journals Smart Devices and Wearable Technologies to Detect and Monitor Mental Health Conditions and Stress: A Systematic Review

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3461
Author(s):  
Blake Anthony Hickey ◽  
Taryn Chalmers ◽  
Phillip Newton ◽  
Chin-Teng Lin ◽  
David Sibbritt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Stress Detection ◽  
Wearable Technologies ◽  
Detection Of Stress ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Recently, there has been an increase in the production of devices to monitor mental health and stress as means for expediting detection, and subsequent management of these conditions. The objective of this review is to identify and critically appraise the most recent smart devices and wearable technologies used to identify depression, anxiety, and stress, and the physiological process(es) linked to their detection. The MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, and PsycINFO databases were used to identify studies which utilised smart devices and wearable technologies to detect or monitor anxiety, depression, or stress. The included articles that assessed stress and anxiety unanimously used heart rate variability (HRV) parameters for detection of anxiety and stress, with the latter better detected by HRV and electroencephalogram (EGG) together. Electrodermal activity was used in recent studies, with high accuracy for stress detection; however, with questionable reliability. Depression was found to be largely detected using specific EEG signatures; however, devices detecting depression using EEG are not currently available on the market. This systematic review highlights that average heart rate used by many commercially available smart devices is not as accurate in the detection of stress and anxiety compared with heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, and possibly respiratory rate.

scholarly journals Heart rate variability moderates the effects of COVID-19-related stress and family adversity on emotional problems in adolescents: Testing models of differential susceptibility and diathesis stress

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jonas G. Miller ◽  
Rajpreet Chahal ◽  
Jaclyn S. Kirshenbaum ◽  
Tiffany C. Ho ◽  
Anthony J. Gifuni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Differential Susceptibility ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Family Adversity ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Related Stress

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique period of stress, uncertainty, and adversity that will have significant implications for adolescent mental health. Nevertheless, stress and adversity related to COVID-19 may be more consequential for some adolescents’ mental health than for others. We examined whether heart rate variability (HRV) indicated differential susceptibility to mental health difficulties associated with COVID-19 stress and COVID-19 family adversity. Approximately 4 years prior to the pandemic, we assessed resting HRV and HRV reactivity to a well-validated stress paradigm in 87 adolescents. During the pandemic, these adolescents (ages 13–19) reported on their health-related stress and concerns about COVID-19, family adversity related to COVID-19, and their recent emotional problems. The association between COVID-19 stress and emotional problems was significantly stronger for adolescents who previously exhibited higher resting HRV or higher HRV reactivity. For adolescents who exhibited lower resting HRV or HRV augmentation, COVID-19 stress was not associated with emotional problems. Conversely, lower resting HRV indicated vulnerability to the effect of COVID-19 family adversity on emotional problems. Different patterns of parasympathetic functioning may reflect differential susceptibility to the effects of COVID-19 stress versus vulnerability to the effects of COVID-19 family adversity on mental health during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Heart Rate Variability Moderates the Link Between COVID-19 Stress and Emotional Problems in Adolescents: Evidence for Differential Susceptibility

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas G. Miller ◽  
Rajpreet Chahal ◽  
Jaclyn Schwartz Kirshenbaum ◽  
Tiffany C. Ho ◽  
Anthony J. Gifuni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Differential Susceptibility ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Related Stress

The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique period of stress and uncertainty that will have significant implications for adolescent mental health. Nevertheless, stress about COVID-19 may be more consequential for some adolescents’ mental health than for others. We examined whether heart rate variability (HRV) indicated differential susceptibility to mental health difficulties associated with COVID-19 stress. Approximately four years prior to the pandemic, we assessed resting HRV and HRV reactivity to a well-validated stress paradigm in 87 adolescents. During the pandemic, these adolescents (ages 13-19) reported on their health-related stress and concerns about COVID-19 and their recent emotional problems. The association between COVID-19 stress and emotional problems was significantly stronger for adolescents who previously exhibited higher resting HRV or higher HRV reactivity. For adolescents who exhibited lower resting HRV or lower HRV reactivity, COVID-19 stress was not associated with emotional problems. Thus, parasympathetic functioning may reflect differential susceptibility to the effects of COVID-19 stress on mental health during the pandemic.

Resonance breathing is associated with improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms during heart rate variability biofeedback sessions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Khan Pettitt ◽  
Benjamin W Nelson ◽  
Richard Gevirtz ◽  
Paul Lehrer ◽  
Kristian Ranta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Resonance Frequency ◽  
Treatment Protocol ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Adjunctive Treatment ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback ◽  
Item Scale

Heart rate variability (HRV) appears to be a transdiagnostic biomarker for health and disease. Although initial studies using HRV biofeedback (HRVB) to regulate HRV as a potential adjunctive treatment to gold-standard interventions seem promising, more research is needed to determine which aspects of HRVB training provide the most clinical benefits to those suffering from mental health symptoms. In the current study, we sought to investigate whether time spent in resonance, between-person differences in resonance frequency, and/or within-person resonance frequency trajectory across repeated HRVB sessions were related to changes in depression and/or anxiety symptoms during a 12-week digital mental health intervention that contains HRVB as part of the treatment protocol. We used a retrospective cohort study to examine these associations among 387 participants in the Meru Health Program. For depression, we found that average resonance time per HRVB session, but not total time in resonance, was significantly associated with decreased depression as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale (PHQ-9) across treatment (b=-0.38, 95% CI [-0.76,-0.01], t(377)=-1.99, p=.047). For anxiety symptoms as measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), we found neither association significant. Within-person effects were significant for both depression and anxiety, with steeper slopes of time spent in resonance significantly related to reductions in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 symptoms, respectively. Between-person effects were not significant for either depression or anxiety. Our results demonstrate that improvements in resonance efficiency over time in treatment, independent of how each participant starts, are related to reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms.

Investigating the Effect of Mindfulness Training on Heart Rate Variability in Mental Health Outpatients: A Pilot Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Wheeler ◽  
Linley Denson ◽  
Chris Neil ◽  
Graeme Tucker ◽  
Maura Kenny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Cardiac Risk ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Electrocardiographic Monitoring ◽  
Axis I

Depression is associated with increased cardiac morbidity and mortality in people with and without cardiac risk factors, and this relationship is, in part, mediated by heart rate variability (HRV). Increased heart rate and reduced HRV are common in depressed patients, which may explain their higher cardiac risk. This pilot study investigated whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) promoted objective changes in (1) HRV, and (2) depressive symptoms and quality of life, in mental health outpatients. Twenty-seven adults meeting criteria for DSM-IV Axis I disorders completed an 8-week MBCT program. Data were collected on three occasions, 8 weeks apart; twice before and once after MBCT. Participants completed the Short Form-36 and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) at each test period. Heart rate and HRV were measured during electrocardiographic monitoring before and after a cognitive stressor. At baseline, 78% of participants met criteria for depression (CES-D ≥16). Multivariate analyses revealed a significant treatment effect for SF-36 physical summary score and depression (as a dichotomous variable), but not for HRV. This pilot study highlights the immediate psychological and health benefits of MBCT. Low power may have influenced the lack of a finding of an association between HRV and MBCT. However, the feasibility of the study design has been established, and supports the need for larger and longer-term studies of the potential physiological benefits of MBCT for cardiac health.

scholarly journals Junior doctors in their first year: mental health, quality of life, burnout and heart rate variability

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus A. Henning ◽  
John Sollers ◽  
Joanna M. Strom ◽  
Andrew G. Hill ◽  
Mataroria P. Lyndon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
First Year ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Health Quality ◽  
Health Quality Of Life

scholarly journals Heart Rate Variability Duration: Expanding the Ability of Wearable Technology to Improve Outpatient Monitoring?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Sheridan ◽  
Karyssa N. Domingo ◽  
Ryan Dehart ◽  
Steven D. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Frequency Component ◽  
Wearable Technology ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
High Frequency Component ◽  
Frequency Domains

Heart rate variability (HRV) evaluates beat-to-beat interval (BBI) differences and is a suggested marker of the autonomic nervous system with diagnostic/monitoring capabilities in mental health; especially parasympathetic measures. The standard duration for short-term HRV analysis ranges from 24 h down to 5-min. However, wearable technology, mainly wrist devices, have large amounts of motion at times resulting in need for shorter duration of monitoring. The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between 1 and 5 min segments of continuous HRV data collected simultaneously on the same patient. Subjects wore a patch electrocardiograph (Cardea Solo, Inc.) over a 1–7 day period. For every consecutive hour the patch was worn, we selected a 5-min, artifact-free electrocardiogram segment. HRV metric calculation was performed to the entire 5-min segment and the first 1-min from this same 5-min segment. There were 492 h of electrocardiogram data collected allowing calculation of 492 5 min and 1 min segments. 1 min segments of data showed good correlation to 5 min segments in both time and frequency domains: root mean square of successive difference (RMSSD) (R = 0.92), high frequency component (HF) (R = 0.90), low frequency component (LF) (R = 0.71), and standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) (R = 0.63). Mental health research focused on parasympathetic HRV metrics, HF and RMSSD, may be accomplished through smaller time windows of recording, making wearable technology possible for monitoring.

The well-being of medical students: A biopsychosocial approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 997-1006
Author(s):  
Ute Vollmer-Conna ◽  
Jessica E Beilharz ◽  
Erin Cvejic ◽  
Claire L Macnamara ◽  
Michelle Doherty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Biopsychosocial Approach ◽  
Reactive Protein

Objective: Mental health problems among medical students have been widely reported, but the predisposing and perpetuating factors and biological concomitants are poorly understood. Adopting a biopsychosocial approach, we studied well-being in a group of Australian medical students, focusing on sleep, autonomic and immune mechanisms, as well as mental, social and physical well-being, health-related behaviours, and daily functioning. Methods: Fourth-year medical students ( N = 151) completed comprehensive assessments, including laboratory-based and nocturnal autonomic monitoring via ambulatory bioharness, a psychiatric diagnostic interview, and questionnaires assessing sleep quality and psychosocial and physical well-being. A blood sample was taken to quantify the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. Sleep, mood and activity was additionally monitored daily for 7 days. Results: A sizable minority of students reported diminished physical, mental and psychosocial well-being. We also found concerning levels of sleep disturbance and social and occupational impairment in a subset of students. The strong co-occurrence of problems across symptom domains supported a biopsychosocial interdependence of health and well-being states. Maladaptive coping behaviours were apparent, notably hazardous alcohol consumption, which was associated with a clinically significant elevation in C-reactive protein levels (> 3 mg/L). We documented, for the first time, significantly diminished nocturnal heart rate variability in medical students with a mental health diagnosis. Nocturnal heart rate variability was strongly associated with sleep quality, daytime autonomic stress reactivity, as well as occupational and social functioning. Conclusion: Well-being is a multifaceted phenomenon firmly interlinked with sleep, autonomic and immune function, health behaviours and functional outcomes. Our novel findings supported a key role for nocturnal autonomic function in promoting sleep quality and mental well-being. Interventions could focus on sleep hygiene and health behaviours as a buffer for well-being and teach more adaptive strategies for coping with the stresses of medical training.

scholarly journals The Effect of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training on Mental Health of Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith van der Zwan ◽  
Anja Huizink ◽  
Paul Lehrer ◽  
Hans Koot ◽  
Wieke de Vente
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Biofeedback Training ◽  
Psychological Well Being

In this study, we examined the efficacy of heart rate variability (HRV)-biofeedback on stress and stress-related mental health problems in women. Furthermore, we examined whether the efficacy differed between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Fifty women (20 pregnant, 30 non-pregnant; mean age 31.6, SD = 5.9) were randomized into an intervention (n = 29) or a waitlist condition (n = 21). All participants completed questionnaires on stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, sleep, and psychological well-being on three occasions with 6-week intervals. Women in the intervention condition received HRV-biofeedback training between assessment 1 and 2, and women in the waitlist condition received the intervention between assessment 2 and 3. The intervention consisted of a 5-week HRV-biofeedback training program with weekly 60–90 min. sessions and daily exercises at home. Results indicated a statistically significant beneficial effect of HRV-biofeedback on psychological well-being for all women, and an additional statistically significant beneficial effect on anxiety complaints for pregnant women. No significant effect was found for the other stress-related complaints. These findings support the use of HRV-biofeedback as a stress-reducing technique among women reporting stress and related complaints in clinical practice to improve their well-being. Furthermore, it supports the use of this technique for reducing anxiety during pregnancy.

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