Abstract
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.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1051 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-15 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Mar 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Published [online]: 23 March 2019Funding
Department of Clinical, Neuro-and Developmental Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; [email protected] (J.E.v.d.Z.); [email protected] (H.M.K.) Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers—Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, 671 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; [email protected] Research Institute of Child Development and Education, and Research Priority Area Yield, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1001NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands; [email protected] Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +31-20-5988732 Funding: This work was funded by Philips, Technology Foundation STW, and Nationaal Initiatief Hersenen en Cognitie NIHC under the Partnership programme Healthy Lifestyle Solutions, grant number 12001.
Keywords
- Anxiety
- Depression
- HRV-biofeedback
- Psychological well-being
- Sleep
- Stress