Dataset Information

Heart rate variability and psychosocial symptoms in adolescents and young adults with cancer

ABSTRACT:

Background

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a valid, scalable biomarker of stress. We aimed to examine associations between HRV and psychosocial outcomes in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomized trial testing a resilience intervention in AYAs with cancer. Two widely used HRV metrics, the standard deviation of normal to normal beats (SDNN) and root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), were derived from electrocardiograms. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) survey measures included quality of life, anxiety, depression, distress, and resilience. Linear regression models were used to test associations between HRV and PRO scores. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to test differences in median HRV values among participant subgroups.

Results

Among the n = 76 patients with available electrocardiograms, the mean age was 16 years (SD 3y), 63% were white, and leukemia/lymphoma was the most common diagnosis. Compared to healthy adolescents, AYAs with cancer had lower median HRV (SDNN [Females: 31.9 (12.8–50.7) vs 66.4 (46.0–86.8), p<0.01; Males: 29.9 (11.5–47.9) vs 63.2 (48.4–84.6), p<0.01]; RMSSD [Females: 28.2 (11.1–45.5) vs 69.0 (49.1–99.6), p<0.01; Males: 27.9 (8.6–48.6) vs 58.7 (44.8–88.2), p<0.01]). There was no statistically significant association between PRO measures and SDNN or RMSSD in either an unadjusted or adjusted linear regression models.

Conclusion

In this secondary analysis, we did not find an association between HRV and psychosocial PROs among AYAs with cancer. HRV measures were lower than for healthy adolescents. Larger prospective studies in AYA biopsychosocial research are needed.

SUBMITTER: Taylor M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8568181 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Our purpose was to study psychosocial adjustment and psychiatric morbidity of adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease (CHD).All assessment measures were obtained on a single occasion. Clinical data was obtained through the patient's clinical records.A teaching and tertiary care facility in Porto, Portugal.We evaluated 110 CHD patients (62 male) aged from 12 to 26 years (mean=18.00±3.617), 58 cyanotic. All assessment measures were obtained on a single occasion in a tertiary hospital. Demographic information and clinical history were collected.Questionnaires regarded topics such as social support, family educational style, self-image and physical limitations, a standardised psychiatric interview Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime version (SADS-L), and a self-report questionnaire on psychosocial adjustment, youth self-report or adult self-report. One of the relatives completed an observational version of the same questionnaire (child behaviour checklist (CBCL) or ABCL (adult behaviour checklist)).We found a 21.8% lifetime prevalence of psychopathology, 31.3%, in females, 14.5% in males, showing a somewhat increased proneness in CHD patients. Females also showed worse psychosocial adjustment, with more somatic complaints (u=260 000; p=0.011), anxiety/depression (u=984 000; p=0.002), aggressive behaviour (u=920 500; p=0.001), attention problems (u=1123 500; p=0.027), thought problems (u=1069 500; p=0.010), internalisation (u=869 000; p=0.0) and externalisation (u=1163 000; p=0.05). Patients with severe CHD (u=939 000; p=0.03) and surgical repair (u=719 000; p=0.037) showed worse psychosocial adjustment. Those with poor social support showed more withdrawal (u=557 500; p=0.0) and social problems (u=748 500; p=0.023), and patients with unsatisfactory school performance revealed more anxiety/depression (u=916 000; p=0.02) and attention problems (u=861 500; p=0.007).CHD males with good social support and good academic performance have a better psychosocial adjustment.

Project description:BackgroundPrevious studies reported increased risk of cardiac events in subjects with fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels lower than the diagnostic threshold of diabetes mellitus. However, whether increased cardiac events in those with upper normal FBG is secondary to the shift of their cardiac sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic predominance is unknown.AimsTo assess the association between FBG levels and cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) in euglycaemic healthy subjects based on heart rate variability (HRV) derived indices.Subjects and methodsThe study enrolled 42 healthy young adults. Following sociodemographic and clinical assessment, blood samples were collected to measure FBG levels. Five minutes ECG recordings were performed to all participants to obtain frequency domain HRV measurements, namely the natural logarithm (Ln) of total power (LnTP), very low frequency (LnVLF), low frequency (LnLF) and high frequency (LnHF), low frequency/ high frequency ratio (LnLF/HF), normalized low frequency (LF Norm) and high frequency (HF Norm).ResultsFBG levels correlated positively with LnHF (r = 0.33, P = 0.031) and HF Norm (r = 0.35, P = 0.025) and negatively with LF Norm (r = -0.35, P = 0.025) and LnLF/HF (r = -0.33, P = 0.035). LnHF and HF Norm were significantly decreased in subjects with the lower (4.00 (1.34) ms2/Hz and 33.12 (11.94) n.u) compared to those with the upper FBG quartile (5.64 (1.63) ms2/Hz and 49.43 (17.73) n.u, P = 0.013 and 0.032 respectively). LF Norm and LnLF/HF were significantly increased in subjects with the lower (66.88 (11.94) n.u and 0.73 (0.53)) compared to those with the higher FBG quartile (50.58 (17.83) n.u and 0.03 (0.79), P = 0.032 and 0.038 respectively).ConclusionThe present study is the first to demonstrate that rise of blood glucose concentration, within physiological range, is associated with higher parasympathetic, but lower sympathetic CAM. Further researches are needed to set out the glycemic threshold beyond which further increase in glucose level readjusts sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic predominance again.

Project description:Mild depressive symptoms (MDS) reflect vulnerability to major depression that does not meet the criteria for a major depressive disorder (MDD). Previous research indicates that it is difficult to identify MDS in young adults, and they exhibit diverse aspects of depressive symptoms caused by clinical depression, which can lead to poor academic performance, relationship difficulties, and even suicide. Additionally, many young adults remain unaware of their depressive symptoms during the early stages of MDD. Thus, the present study investigated clinical, neurocognitive, and physiological characteristics of young adults with various symptoms of depression and explored sex-specific differences. A total of 113 students aged 18-35 (MDD: n = 32; MDS: n =37; control [CON]: n = 44) participated in the study. Self-report clinical measures, short-term cardiac activity measured by finger sensors, and neurocognitive data were collected. Pearson's correlations, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis, and exploratory structural equation modeling were conducted for the statistical analyses. Furthermore, the measurement invariance of the latent factor model was tested, and fit indices were compared according to sex. The results revealed that male students showed greater sympatho-vagal activity than female students. Additionally, male MDS students tended to exhibit decreased performance levels in neurocognitive function tasks compared with MDD and CON males, whereas female MDS students showed distinct characteristics compared to MDD and CON females on self-report measures of anxiety. Correlation analyses identified a positive association between the level of anger perception and latency in the executive function test among both males and females. Additionally, the use of a structured model revealed significant sex-specific differences in factor estimates. The present results suggest that recognizing the early signs of MDS that account for sex-specific differences in both subjective and objective measures may improve the diagnosis and monitoring of young adults with MDS.