Heart rate variability: Pre-deployment predictor of post-deployment PTSD symptoms
Jeffrey M Pyne, Joseph I Constans, Mark D Wiederhold, Douglas P Gibson, Timothy Kimbrell, Teresa L Kramer, Jeffery A Pitcock, Xiaotong Han, D Keith Williams, Don Chartrand, Richard N Gevirtz, James Spira, Brenda K Wiederhold, Rollin McCraty, Thomas R McCune, Jeffrey M Pyne, Joseph I Constans, Mark D Wiederhold, Douglas P Gibson, Timothy Kimbrell, Teresa L Kramer, Jeffery A Pitcock, Xiaotong Han, D Keith Williams, Don Chartrand, Richard N Gevirtz, James Spira, Brenda K Wiederhold, Rollin McCraty, Thomas R McCune
Abstract
Heart rate variability is a physiological measure associated with autonomic nervous system activity. This study hypothesized that lower pre-deployment HRV would be associated with higher post-deployment post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Three-hundred-forty-three Army National Guard soldiers enrolled in the Warriors Achieving Resilience (WAR) study were analyzed. The primary outcome was PTSD symptom severity using the PTSD Checklist - Military version (PCL) measured at baseline, 3- and 12-month post-deployment. Heart rate variability predictor variables included: high frequency power (HF) and standard deviation of the normal cardiac inter-beat interval (SDNN). Generalized linear mixed models revealed that the pre-deployment PCL*ln(HF) interaction term was significant (p<0.0001). Pre-deployment SDNN was not a significant predictor of post-deployment PCL. Covariates included age, pre-deployment PCL, race/ethnicity, marital status, tobacco use, childhood abuse, pre-deployment traumatic brain injury, and previous combat zone deployment. Pre-deployment heart rate variability predicts post-deployment PTSD symptoms in the context of higher pre-deployment PCL scores.
Keywords: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); combat stress; heart rate variability; longitudinal; military; prediction; risk factors.
Published by Elsevier B.V.
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Source: PubMed