Assessing the feasibility of heart rate variability as an objective indicator of anxiety in older adults with dementia living in care homes
Author: Milena A Quinci1,2, Arlene J Astell3,4,5
Affiliation:
1 School of Psychology & Clinical Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 7BE, UK.
2 Centre for Cognitive & Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
3 School of Psychology & Clinical Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 7BE, UK. a.astell@reading.ac.uk.
4 Department of Occupational Sciences & Occupational Therapy and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. a.astell@reading.ac.uk.
5 KITE, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada. a.astell@reading.ac.uk.
Conference/Journal: BMC Res Notes
Date published: 2021 Feb 5
Other:
Volume ID: 14 , Issue ID: 1 , Pages: 48 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1186/s13104-021-05458-2. , Word Count: 159
Objective:
Anxiety is reportedly prevalent in older adults with dementia living in care homes and, within this population, is most often assessed through caregiver reports. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a physiological indicator of autonomic function, whereby reduced vagally-mediated HRV is associated with a variety of anxiety symptoms and disorders. This study evaluates the feasibility of collecting HRV data within this population, presents HRV data for older adults with dementia living in a care home, and examines HRV in the context of self-reported anxiety. These data were collected during a larger study examining an exercise intervention.
Results:
HRV data, in the form of log-transformed root mean square of the successive differences (lnRMSSD), were in line with transformed data from previous research. These data provide a promising direction for the use of wrist-worn devices in future HRV research with people living with dementia in care homes.
Keywords: Anxiety; Dementia; heart rate variability; long-term care.
PMID: 33546710 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-021-05458-2
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