Effects of Daily Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms on Heart Rate Variability

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kotov R ; Luft B ; Ruggero CJ ; Schuler K ; Schwartz JE ; Slavish DC
• Description:
  Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common, debilitating, and associated with an increased risk of health problems, including cardiovascular disease. PTSD is related to poor autonomic function indicated by reduced heart rate variability (HRV). However, very little work has tested the timescale or direction of these effects, given that most evidence comes from cross-sectional studies. Documentation of when effects occur and in what direction can shed light on mechanisms of cardiovascular disease risk and inform treatment. The present study of 169 World Trade Center responders, oversampled for PTSD, tested how daily PTSD symptoms were associated with autonomic function as reflected through HRV. Methods: Participants (N = 169) completed surveys of PTSD symptoms three times a day at 5-hour intervals for 4 days while also wearing ambulatory monitors to record electrocardiograms to derive HRV (i.e., mean absolute value of successive differences between beat-to-beat intervals). Results: HRV did not predict PTSD symptoms. However, PTSD symptoms during a 5-hour interval predicted reduced HRV at the next 5-hour interval (β = -0.09, 95% confidence interval = -0.16 to -0.02, p = .008). Results held adjusting for baseline age, current heart problems, and current PTSD diagnosis. Conclusions: Findings underscore growing awareness that PTSD symptoms are not static. Even their short-term fluctuations may affect cardiovascular functioning, which could have more severe impacts if disruption accumulates over time. Research is needed to determine if momentary interventions can halt increases in PTSD symptoms or mitigate their impact on cardiovascular health. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular System Emergency Responders Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Autonomic Nervous System Cardiovascular Health Ecological Momentary Assessment First Responders Heart Rate Heart Rate Variability Multilevel Modeling Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Psychosomatic Medicine PTSD World Trade Center WTC

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• ISSN:
  0033-3174
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  30-36
• Volume:
  86
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069638
• Citation:
  Psychosom Med 2024 Jan; 86(1):30-36
• Contact Point Address:
  Danica C. Slavish, PhD, 1155 Union Circle, Denton, TX 75203
• Email:
  danica.slavish@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York - Stony Brook
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20160901
• Source Full Name:
  Psychosomatic Medicine
• End Date:
  20210831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ea63a94a8eb36f76ae06bc86068cb33ab787c2815846f19b678a20d80fbee138af7ae9a8b3fcac2c190416e505a1df1e58973d511bacfc5012650dafdbb0a1eb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208027/cdc_208027_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 250.56 KB ]