Safe in my heart: resting heart rate variability longitudinally predicts emotion regulation, worry, and sense of safeness during COVID-19 lockdown

TY - JOUR

T1 - Safe in my heart

T2 - resting heart rate variability longitudinally predicts emotion regulation, worry, and sense of safeness during COVID-19 lockdown

AU - Makovac, Elena

AU - Carnevali, Luca

AU - Medina, Sonia

AU - Sgoifo, Andrea

AU - Petrocchi, Nicola

AU - Ottaviani, Cristina

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022/1/2

Y1 - 2022/1/2

N2 - Resting heart rate variability (HRV), a surrogate index of cardiac vagal modulation, is considered a putative biomarker of stress resilience as it reflects the ability to effectively regulate emotions in a changing environment. However, most studies are cross-sectional, precluding longitudinal inferences. The high degree of uncertainty and fear at a global level that characterizes the COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to explore the utility of HRV measures as longitudinal predictors of stress resilience. This study examined whether resting measures of HRV prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e. nearly 2 years before; Time 0) could predict emotion regulation strategies and daily affect in healthy adults during the May 2020 lockdown (Time 1). Moreover, we evaluated the association between HRV measures, emotion regulation strategies, subjective perception of COVID-19 risk, and self-reported depressive symptoms at Time 1. Higher resting HRV at Time 0 predicted a stronger engagement in more functional emotion regulation strategies, as well as of higher daily feelings of safeness and reduced daily worry at Time 1. Moreover, depressive symptoms negatively correlated with HRV and positively correlated with the subjective perception of COVID-19 risk at Time 1. Current data support the view that HRV might not only be a marker but also a precursor of resilience under stressful times.

AB - Resting heart rate variability (HRV), a surrogate index of cardiac vagal modulation, is considered a putative biomarker of stress resilience as it reflects the ability to effectively regulate emotions in a changing environment. However, most studies are cross-sectional, precluding longitudinal inferences. The high degree of uncertainty and fear at a global level that characterizes the COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to explore the utility of HRV measures as longitudinal predictors of stress resilience. This study examined whether resting measures of HRV prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e. nearly 2 years before; Time 0) could predict emotion regulation strategies and daily affect in healthy adults during the May 2020 lockdown (Time 1). Moreover, we evaluated the association between HRV measures, emotion regulation strategies, subjective perception of COVID-19 risk, and self-reported depressive symptoms at Time 1. Higher resting HRV at Time 0 predicted a stronger engagement in more functional emotion regulation strategies, as well as of higher daily feelings of safeness and reduced daily worry at Time 1. Moreover, depressive symptoms negatively correlated with HRV and positively correlated with the subjective perception of COVID-19 risk at Time 1. Current data support the view that HRV might not only be a marker but also a precursor of resilience under stressful times.

KW - Heart rate variability

KW - reappraisal

KW - resilience

KW - safeness

KW - suppression

KW - worry

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118638903&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/10253890.2021.1999408

DO - 10.1080/10253890.2021.1999408

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85118638903

SN - 1025-3890

VL - 25

SP - 9

EP - 13

JO - Stress

JF - Stress

IS - 1

ER -