Table 3.
Studies of HRV reactivity to psychological stressors in healthy human participants
| Authors | Year | N | Age (mean±SD, range) | Stress evaluation | HRV measures | Major findings | Significantly changed HRV measures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kageyama et al. [36] | 1998 | 223 | 30.8±5.4 (21-42) | Questionnaire survey (perceived job stressors) | Short-term | None of the HRV parameters were correlated to any of five job stressor scores. | None | |
| HF, LF, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Kaegi et al. [57] | 1999 | 17 | Medical residents | Scenario simulating a medical emergency | 24 hr continious | HR significantly increased during mental stress. | HR, LF, HF, LF/HF | |
| HR, LF, HF, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Delaney et al. [58] | 2000 | 30 (14M, 16F) | 34.4±8.7 (18-56) in male | Stroop Word Color Conflict Test (to produce psychological strain) | Short-term | Simple, cost-effective method of analysing HRV is suitable for detection of shortterm changes in sympathovagal balance. | HR, pNN50, TP, LF, HF, LFnu, HFnu, LF/HF | |
| 30.9±3.9 (25-36) in female | HR, pNN50, TP, VLF, LF, HF, LFnu, HFnu, LF/HF | |||||||
| Vrijkotte et al. [59] | 2000 | 109 | 47.2± 5.3 (35-55) | Monitored HRV on 2 workdays and 1 nonworkday | 24 hr continious | The detrimental effects of work stress are partly mediated by increased HRV to a stressful workday, and lower vagal tone. | HR, RMSSD | |
| HR, RMSSD | ||||||||
| Dishman et al. [60] | 2000 | 92 (52M40F) | Self-ratings of trait anxiety and perceived emotional stress | Short-term | This indicates a lower cardiac vagal component of HRV among men and women who perceived more stress. | HF | ||
| LF, HF | ||||||||
| Lucini et al. [61] | 2002 | 30 | 22±1 | 30 to 60 minutes before an university examination | Short-term | Mild real-life stress increases arterial pressure and impairs cardiovascular homeostasis. | RR, LF, HF, HFnu, LF/HF, | |
| RR, RR variance, LFnu, HFnu, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Hjortskov et al. [62] | 2004 | 12 female | 23.7±4.8 | Computer-work-related mental stressors (either added to or removed from a standardized computer work session in the laboratory) | Short-term | Reduction in the HF and an increase in the LF/HF were observed in the stress situation compared to the control session. | HF, LF/HF | |
| LF, HF, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Kang et al. [63] | 2004 | 169 male | Aged over 40 | Job Contect Questionnaire | Short-term | SDNN was significantly lower in the high strain group than in the low strain group. However, they could not find a significant association in LF/HF ratio. | SDNN | |
| SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, VLF, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Hintsanen et al. [64] | 2007 | 406M, 457F | Mean age 32.3 | Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire | Short-term | Higher effort-reward imbalance was associated with lower HRV, and lower reward was associated with higher HR among women, not men. | HR, RMSSD, pNN50 | |
| HR, RMSSD, pNN, HF, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Orsila et al. [65] | 2008 | 30 (15M, 15F) | 40±8.8 (24-62) | Perceived mental stress during the workday | Wristop continious | Highest correlation between perceived mental stress with the differences between the values of TINN and the RMSSD obtained in the morning and during the workday. | TINN, RMSSD, SD1 | |
| MeanHR, MeanRR, RMSSD, TINN, LF, HF, LF/HF, SD1, SD2 | ||||||||
| Chandola et al. [66] | 2008 | 10, 308 (3413M, 6895F) | Range 35-55 | Job-strain questionnaire (Self-reported work stress) | Short-term | There was an association between work stress and low HRV for participants at all ages. | LF. HF, SDNN | |
| RR, LF, HF, SDNN, | ||||||||
| Filaire et al. [67] | 2010 | 52 (26M, 26F) | 46.2±5.8 in male, 37.2±3.0 in female | State-trait anxiety inventory The perceived stress scale (before and after the lecture) | Short-term | A reduction in the HF and HFnu component of HRV and an increase in the LH/HF ratio were observed at the end of the lecture. | HR, pNN50, RMSSD, HF, HFnu, LF/HF | |
| HR, pNN50, SDNN, PMSSD, TP, LF, LFnu, HF, HFnu, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Lampert et al. [68] | 2011 | 163 | Mean age 30 | Cumulative stress/ adversity checklist | 24 hr continious | The odds of having low ULF for those in the higher total stress, chronic stressors, and adverse life events groups were 2.2, 1.9, and 2.1 respectively. | ULF, VLF, LF | |
| ULF, VLF, LF, HF | ||||||||
| Taelman et al. [69] | 2011 | 28 | 22±1.96 (19-26) | Mental task (part 1 of the home version of the MENS A test) | Short-term | HRV is sensitive to any change in mental or physical state. They were able to distinguish between rest, physical and mental condition by combining different H RVchar acteristics. | HF, LF, LF/HF, fHF | |
| HF, LF, LF/HF, fHF | ||||||||
| Uusitalo et al. [70] | 2011 | 19 (1M, 18F) | Mean age 42 (24-57) | Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire | 36 hr continious | Daytime HRV correlated significantly and negatively with daytime stress feelings on both days. | RMSDD, LF | |
| RMSDD, HF, LF, | ||||||||
| Clays et al. [71] | 2011 | 653 male | Range 40-55 | Job Stress Questionnaire (JSQ) | 24 hr continious | The work stressor index was significantly associated with lower pNN50, lower HF power and a higher ratio of LF/HF power. | HR, pNN50, HF LF/HF | |
| HR, pNN50, SDNN, LF, HF LF/HF | ||||||||
| Michels et al. [72] | 2013 | 334 (51.2% boys) | Range 5-10 | Self-reported chronic stress aspects (events, emotions and problems) | Short-term | Low HRV (lower parasympathetic activity) might serve as stress indicator in children. | RMSSD, LF/HF, HF | |
| RMSSD, pNN50, LF, HF, LFnu, HFnu LF/HF | ||||||||
| Vargas-Luna et al. [73] | 2013 | 57 female | 48.19±5.98 (40-60) | Stroop test, 3 min | Short-term | HRV gives a fast reaction to the psychological stress. | LF, HF | |
| LF, HF | ||||||||
| Endukuru et al. [74] | 2016 | 50 | 28.52±0.71 | Stroop Color Word Test | Short-term | All the components of HRV were sensitive to stress in all the healthy individuals. | HR, RR interval, BP, SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, LF/HF | |
| Mean HR, Mean RR, SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, PNN50, TP, LFnu, HFnu, LF, HF, LF/HF | ||||||||
| Sin et al. [75] | 2016 | 909 | Range 35–85 | Telephone interviews (reported negative affect and minor stressful events) | Short-term | Stressor frequency was unrelated to HRV. But individuals with more pronounced affective reactivity to stressors also had lower levels of all three HRV indices | SDNN, RMSSD, HF | |
| SDNN, RMSSD, HF | ||||||||
| Punita et al. [76] | 2016 | 150 (72M, 78F) | Medical students | The medical students’ stress questionnaire | Short-term | All the frequency domain indices were reduced with increase in the intensity of stress except for LFnu, which significantly increased. | TP, LF, HF, HFnu, LF/HF, RR, SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, pNN50 | |
| TP, LF, HF, LFnu, HFnu, LF/HF, RR, SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, pNN50 | ||||||||
SD: standard deviation, HRV: heart rate variability, HF: high-frequency band, LF: low-frequency band, HR: heart rate, M: male, F: female, pNN50: NN50 count divided by the total number of all NN intervals, NN: normal-to-normal, TP: total power, VLF: very low frequency band, LFnu: LF norm, HFnu: HF norm, RMSSD: The square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals, SDNN: standard deviation of all NN intervals, RR: rhythm-to-rhythm, TINN: triangular interpolation of RR interval histogram, SD1: the standard deviation of the Poincare plot perpendicular to the line-of-identity, SD2: the standard deviation of the Poincare plot along the line-of-identity, ULF: ultra low frequency band