TY - JOUR
T1 - Measures of Heart Rate Variability in Individuals with Somatic Symptom Disorder
AU - Huang, Wei Lieh
AU - Liao, Shih Cheng
AU - Yang, Cheryl C.H.
AU - Kuo, Terry B.J.
AU - Chen, Tzu Ting
AU - Chen, I. Ming
AU - Gau, Susan Shur Fen
N1 - Funding Information:
Source of Funding and Conflicts of Interest: This study was supported by a Grant (NTUHYL 103.N001) from National Taiwan University Hospital, Yun-Lin Branch, Taiwan.
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - Objective Little is known about autonomic nervous system activity in individuals with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) as defined by DSM-V criteria. The aims of this study were to investigate whether individuals with SSD differ from healthy controls in heart rate variability (HRV) measures of autonomic nervous system activity and whether sex has a moderating effect on this association. Methods We recruited 168 individuals with SSD (35.1% men) and 106 healthy controls (27.4% men). Demographics, HRV, and psychological factors were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Health Anxiety Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the association of SSD with HRV, adjusting for demographic and psychological measures. Results Individuals with SSD had lower levels of total-power HRV and low-frequency HRV, but no differences in high-frequency (HF)-HRV were found. HRV differences between SSD and controls varied by sex and age (triple interaction TP-HRV β = -0.222, p <.001; low-frequency HRV β = -0.332, p <.001; and HF-HRV β = -0.167, p =.006). Whole-sample multiple regression analyses revealed significant sex differences in the magnitudes of the association between BDI-II with HF-HRV (β of sex∗BDI-II: 0.761, p =.005) and analyses stratified by sex indicated that HF-HRV was significantly correlated with depression in men with SSD (r = -0.491, p <.001) but not in women with SSD (r = 0.057, p =.558). Conclusions These results suggest that patients with SSD demonstrate different patterns of HRV and the patterns of association between HRV indices and psychological factors vary between men and women.
AB - Objective Little is known about autonomic nervous system activity in individuals with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) as defined by DSM-V criteria. The aims of this study were to investigate whether individuals with SSD differ from healthy controls in heart rate variability (HRV) measures of autonomic nervous system activity and whether sex has a moderating effect on this association. Methods We recruited 168 individuals with SSD (35.1% men) and 106 healthy controls (27.4% men). Demographics, HRV, and psychological factors were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Health Anxiety Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the association of SSD with HRV, adjusting for demographic and psychological measures. Results Individuals with SSD had lower levels of total-power HRV and low-frequency HRV, but no differences in high-frequency (HF)-HRV were found. HRV differences between SSD and controls varied by sex and age (triple interaction TP-HRV β = -0.222, p <.001; low-frequency HRV β = -0.332, p <.001; and HF-HRV β = -0.167, p =.006). Whole-sample multiple regression analyses revealed significant sex differences in the magnitudes of the association between BDI-II with HF-HRV (β of sex∗BDI-II: 0.761, p =.005) and analyses stratified by sex indicated that HF-HRV was significantly correlated with depression in men with SSD (r = -0.491, p <.001) but not in women with SSD (r = 0.057, p =.558). Conclusions These results suggest that patients with SSD demonstrate different patterns of HRV and the patterns of association between HRV indices and psychological factors vary between men and women.
KW - autonomic nervous system
KW - heart rate variability
KW - sex difference
KW - somatic symptom disorder
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U2 - 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000362
DO - 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000362
M3 - Article
C2 - 27359183
AN - SCOPUS:84976574452
SN - 0033-3174
VL - 79
SP - 34
EP - 42
JO - Psychosomatic Medicine
JF - Psychosomatic Medicine
IS - 1
ER -