Resting high frequency heart rate variability and PTSD symptomatology in Veterans: Effects of respiration, role in elevated heart rate, and extension to spouses

Smith, Timothy W.; Deits‐Lebehn, Carlene; Caska-Wallace, Catherine M.; Renshaw, Keith D.; Uchino, Bert N.

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107928

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…However, the findings also may explain the absence of differences between the SSD and the control groups in specific parasympathetic HRV indices, probably due to high levels of stress in the sample. The lower parasympathetic activity in PTSD was found in a meta‐analysis (Schneider & Schwerdtfeger, 2020) and veterans sample studies (Smith et al, 2020). The higher sympathetic activity given by low‐frequency and the high‐frequency ratio was associated with PTSD vulnerability before the traumatic event (Minassian et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…On the other hand, low HRV is related to the persistence of negative emotions in response to stressors, and an inability to regulate them, playing an important role in maintaining or worsening stress symptoms (Blechert et al, 2007;Campbell-Sills et al, 2006). Studies suggest a lower parasympathetic activity was associated with PTSD vulnerability, indicated by the reduced high-frequency parameters after the trauma (Schneider & Schwerdtfeger, 2020;Smith et al, 2020), and an increased low-frequency (sympathetic activity) to highfrequency ratio before the traumatic event (Minassian et al, 2015). This is the first psychophysiological study conducted in people living in a violent community attended by a program based on sport for social development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of a violent community on mental health and the benefits of a sport program for social development

Fernandes

Silva

Ramos

et al. 2022

Journal Community Psychology

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The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a violent environment on mental health and the impact of a sport for social development (SSD) program on quality of life, mental distress symptoms, and heart rate variability (HRV). HRV and psychometric data were measured from 20 men professional athletes assisted by the SSD and 20 men living in the same violent community. The comparison of groups revealed greater sympathetic parameters of HRV, positive affect, and quality of life in the SSD group. Multiple regression analysis showed that the quality of life in the SSD group was positively predicted by positive affect, while in the control group the quality of life was negatively predicted by their history of traumatic events. Both groups reported high levels of exposure to traumatic events and posttraumatic stress symptoms. However, this study demonstrates the benefits of SSD programs in mental health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of a violent community on mental health and the benefits of a sport program for social development

Fernandes

Silva

Ramos

et al. 2022

Journal Community Psychology

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“…These findings are in line with the extensive literature that described reduced HRV as a transdiagnostic correlate of psychopathology. As a matter of fact, reduced HRV was also observed in bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (Carr et al, 2018;Smith et al, 2020). A reason for this is that HRV reflects, albeit peripherally, prefrontal cortex functioning and, therefore, captures the psychophysiological vulnerability that many psychopathologies share (Beauchaine and Thayer, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reduced heart rate variability is associated with vulnerability to depression

Dell’Acqua

Bò

Benvenuti

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) mirrors cardiac autonomic modulation, an index of well-being. Reduced HRV has been reported in depression, but few studies investigated HRV in individuals at-risk of or remitted from a full-blown depressive episode. The present study aimed at examining whether reduced HRV could be a potential indicator of vulnerability to depression. Methods: Self-reported psychological measures and three-minute resting-state ECG were collected in two at-risk populations [group with dysphoria (n = 27), group with past depression (n = 16)] and in a control group (n = 25). Time- and frequency-domain HRV parameters were computed. Analysis of covariance was conducted to detect between-groups differences for each measure. Results: Standard Deviation of Normal to Normal intervals (SDNN) and High Frequency (HF) power of HRV were found to be reduced both in individuals with dysphoria and in those with past depression as compared with controls. Whereas psychological measures did not significantly differ among individuals with past depression and controls, HRV was capable of discriminating between the two groups. Limitations: Past depression was assessed retrospectively with self-reported information. The inclusion of a group with depression would provide an overview about HRV during the illness course. Conclusions: The findings suggest that reduced HRV is likely to be implicated in the risk of developing full-blown depression, rather than being a mere correlate of current depressive state. The results suggest that HRV may improve the ability to early identify people at risk for depression who can benefit from targeted prevention by psychiatric and psychological interventions.

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“…Stress-related and emotional factors have been identified as early candidate mechanisms for PTSD/CVD relationships, with various responses to acute and chronic stress being implicated in this relationship [4,30]. For example, PTSD severity was shown to be related to delayed cardiovascular recovery [31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilot Findings Indicate a Cognitive Behavioral Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for PTSD Improves Sleep and Physical Activity

Kibler,

Ma,

Hrzich

et al. 2023

Brain Sciences

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Research has indicated strong associations between post-traumatic stress and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tend to show patterns of elevated CVD risk earlier in life than the general population. The need for developing effective interventions for CVD risk reduction in PTSD is increasingly evident. The purpose of the present pilot study was to examine the effects of a healthy lifestyle intervention that addresses CVD-related heath behaviors (physical activity, sleep, stress) among civilian adults with PTSD. Participants were randomized to the healthy lifestyle intervention condition or a wait-list control. A total of 22 women completed the protocol (11 per group). The mean age was 32 (SD ± 14). Evaluations were conducted before and after the 12-week intervention program in the experimental group, and 12 weeks apart for the control group, and included standardized self-report measures of sleep, physical activity, and general stress. The healthy lifestyle group showed an increase in the amount of sleep pre to post (mean of 1.2 h per night), which was significantly different to the control group, who had no change (p < 0.05; effect size = 1.41). Notable pre to post increases in physical activity were observed between the intervention group (mean increase = 115.8 min over 7 days) and control condition (mean = 4.5 min over 7 days); however, this effect was not significant in the small sample (effect size = 0.70). These preliminary findings suggest that a healthy lifestyle intervention is feasible and can produce desired changes in target behaviors/outcomes.

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Resting high frequency heart rate variability and PTSD symptomatology in Veterans: Effects of respiration, role in elevated heart rate, and extension to spouses

Cited by 6 publications

References 70 publications

The impact of a violent community on mental health and the benefits of a sport program for social development

The impact of a violent community on mental health and the benefits of a sport program for social development

Reduced heart rate variability is associated with vulnerability to depression

Pilot Findings Indicate a Cognitive Behavioral Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for PTSD Improves Sleep and Physical Activity

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