CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 45Music Therapy and HealthHeart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlMusicians’ Health and Performance

Respiratory Variability, Sighing, Anxiety, and Breathing Symptoms in Low- and High-Anxious Music Students Before and After Performing

Open access
Guyon, Amélie J. A. A., Cannavò, Rosamaria, Studer, Regina K., Hildebrandt, Horst, Danuser, Brigitta, Vlemincx, Elke, Gomez, Patrick·2020·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00303PMC PMC7054282
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a major problem for music students. It is largely unknown whether music students who experience high or low anxiety differ in their respiratory responses to performance situations and whether these co-vary with self-reported anxiety, tension, and breathing symptoms. Affective processes influence dynamic respiratory regulation in ways that are reflected in measures of respiratory variability and sighing. This study had two goals. First, we determined how measures of respiratory variability, sighing, self-reported anxiety, tension, and breathing symptoms vary as a function of the performance situation (practice vs. public performance), performance phase (pre-performance vs. post-performance), and the general MPA level of music students. Second, we analyzed to what extent self-reported anxiety, tension, and breathing symptoms co-vary with the respiratory responses. The participants were 65 university music students. We assessed their anxiety, tension, and breathing symptoms with Likert scales and recorded their respiration with the LifeShirt system during a practice performance and a public performance. For the 10-min periods before and after each performance, we computed number of sighs, coefficients of variation (CVs, a measure of total variability), autocorrelations at one breath lag (ARs(1), a measure of nonrandom variability) and means of minute ventilation (V'E), tidal volume (VT), inspiration time (TI), and expiration time (TE). CVs and sighing were greater whereas AR(1) of V'E was lower in the public session than in the practice session. The effect of the performance situation on CVs and sighing was larger for high-MPA than for low-MPA participants. Higher MPA levels were associated with lower CVs. At the within-individual level, anxiety, tension, and breathing symptoms were associated with deeper and slower breathing, greater CVs, lower AR(1) of V'E, and more sighing. We conclude that respiratory variability and sighing are sensitive to the performance situation and to musicians’ general MPA level. Moreover, anxiety, tension, breathing symptoms, and respiratory responses co-vary significantly in the context of music performance situations. Respiratory monitoring can add an important dimension to the understanding of music performance situations and MPA and to the diagnostic and intervention outcome assessments of MPA.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00303

Cites

8 of 8 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Different emotional and cognitive states alter the depth and frequency of breathing, which impacts emotional state in part by regulation of carbon dioxide levels.

    “It is also clear that different emotional and cognitive states alter the depth and frequency of breathing,8,9,10,11,12 which likewise impacts emotional state, in part by regulation of carbon dioxide levels.13,14,15,16,17”

    From Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal (2023) · cites this paper as [10]

    The Discussion (Coupling Between Experiential and Respiratory Responses; page unavailable) links anxiety and tension with differences in breathing depth and timing. The Discussion (Limitations and Outlook; page unavailable) says breathing changes may alter carbon dioxide levels and affect cognitive or motor performance, but it does not establish that carbon dioxide regulation affects emotional state. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 63

  1. Abelson J. L. Khan S. Lyubkin M. Giardino N. (2008). Respiratory irregularity and stress hormones in panic disorder: exploring potential linkages. Depress. Anxiety 25 885– 887. 10.1002/da.20317 17557312 · DOI
  2. Abelson J. L. Weg J. G. Nesse R. M. Curtis G. C. (2001). Persistent respiratory irregularity in patients with panic disorder. Biol. Psychiatry 49 588– 595. 10.1016/S0006-3223(00)01078-7 11297716 · DOI · Paper page
  3. Alpers G. W. Wilhelm F. H. Roth W. T. (2005). Psychophysiological assessment during exposure in driving phobic patients. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 114 126– 139. 10.1037/0021-843X.114.1.126 15709819 · DOI
  4. Aufegger L. Wasley D. (2018). Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase are modulated by the time and context of musical performance. Int J. Stress Manag. 25 81– 93. 10.1037/str0000079 · DOI
  5. Ayala E. S. Meuret A. E. Ritz T. (2010). Confrontation with blood and disgust stimuli precipitates respiratory dysregulation in blood–injection–injury phobia. Biol. Psychol. 84 88– 97. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2010.02.004 20167246 · DOI · Paper page
  6. Baldwin D. N. Suki B. Pillow J. J. Roiha H. L. Minocchieri S. Frey U. (2004). Effect of sighs on breathing memory and dynamics in healthy infants. J. Appl. Physiol. 97 1830– 1839. 10.1152/japplphysiol.00298.2004 15208293 · DOI
  7. Blechert J. Lajtman M. Michael T. Margraf J. Wilhelm F. H. (2006). Identifying anxiety states using broad sampling and advanced processing of peripheral physiological information. Biomed. Sci. Instrum. 42 136– 141. 16817598
  8. Boiten F. A. Frijda N. H. Wientjes C. J. (1994). Emotions and respiratory patterns: review and critical analysis. Int. J. Psychophysiol. 17 103– 128. 10.1016/0167-8760(94)90027-2 7995774 · DOI · Paper page
  9. Bruce E. N. (1996). Temporal variations in the pattern of breathing. J. Appl. Physiol. 80 1079– 1087. 10.1152/jappl.1996.80.4.1079 8926229 · DOI
  10. Buma L. A. Bakker F. C. Oudejans R. R. (2015). Exploring the thoughts and focus of attention of elite musicians under pressure. Psychol. of Music 43 459– 472. 10.1177/0305735613517285 · DOI
  11. Cherniack N. S. Voneuler C. Glogowska M. Homma I. (1981). Characteristics and rate of occurrence of spontaneous and provoked augmented breaths. Acta Physiol,. Scand. 111 349– 360. 10.1371/journal.pone.0176023 6797251 · DOI
  12. Cox W. J. Kenardy J. (1993). Performance anxiety, social phobia, and setting effects in instrumental music students. J. Anxiety Disord. 7 49– 60. 10.1016/0887-6185(93)90020-L · DOI
  13. Craske M. G. Craig K. D. (1984). Musical performance anxiety: the three-systems model and self-efficacy theory. Behav. Res. Ther. 22 267– 280. 10.1016/0005-7967(84)90007-X 6466277 · DOI
  14. Ekman P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cogn. Emot. 6 169– 200. 10.1080/02699939208411068 29100796 · DOI · Paper page
  15. Evers C. Hopp H. Gross J. J. Fischer A. H. Manstead A. S. Mauss I. B. (2014). Emotion response coherence: a dual-process perspective. Biol. Psychol. 98 43– 49. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.11.003 24239595 · DOI
  16. Fancourt D. Aufegger L. Williamon A. (2015). Low-stress and high-stress singing have contrasting effects on glucocorticoid response. Front.Psychol. 6: 1242. 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01242 26388794 PMC4559645 · DOI · Paper page
  17. Fredrikson M. Gunnarsson R. (1992). Psychobiology of stage fright: the effect of public performance on neuroendocrine, cardiovascular and subjective reactions. Biol. Psychol. 33 51– 61. 10.1016/0301-0511(92)90005-F 1599999 · DOI
  18. Gomez P. Nielsen C. Studer R. K. Hildebrandt H. Klumb P. L. Nater U. M. (2018). Prolonged performance-related neuroendocrine activation and perseverative cognition in low-and high-anxious university music students. Psychoneuroendocrinology 95 18– 27. 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.018 29787957 · DOI
  19. Grassmann M. Vlemincx E. von Leupoldt A. Van den Bergh O. (2016). The role of respiratory measures to assess mental load in pilot selection. Ergonomics 59 745– 753. 10.1080/00140139.2015.1090019 26444137 · DOI
  20. Hildebrandt H. Nübling M. Candia V. (2012). Increment of fatigue, depression, and stage fright during the first year of high-level education in music students. Med. Probl. Perform. Art. 27 43– 48. 22543322
  21. Karavidas M. K. Lehrer P. M. Lu S. E. Vaschillo E. Vaschillo B. Cheng A. (2010). The effects of workload on respiratory variables in simulated flight: a preliminary study. Biol. Psychol. 84 157– 160. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.12.009 20064581 · DOI
  22. Keefe F. J. Block A. R. (1982). Development of an observation method for assessing pain behavior in chronic low back pain patients. Behavi. Ther. 13 363– 375. 10.1016/S0005-7894(82)80001-4 · DOI
  23. Kemeny M. E. (2009). Psychobiological responses to social threat: evolution of a psychological model in psychoneuroimmunology. Brain Behav.Immun. 23 1– 9. 10.1016/j.bbi.2008.08.008 18809488 · DOI · Paper page
  24. Kenny D. Ackermann B. (2015). Performance-related musculoskeletal pain, depression and music performance anxiety in professional orchestral musicians: a population study. Psychol. Music 43 43– 60. 10.1177/0305735613493953 · DOI
  25. Kenny D. T. (2010). “ The role of negative emotions in performance anxiety,” in Handbook of Music and Emotion: Theory, Research, Applications eds Juslin P. P. N. Juslin P. N. Sloboda J. A. Sloboda P. J. (Oxford: OUP Oxford), 425– 451. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230143.003.0016 · DOI
  26. Kusserow M. Candia V. Amft O. Hildebrandt H. Folkers G. Troster G. (2012). Monitoring stage fright outside the laboratory: an example in a professional musician using wearable sensors. Med. Probl. Perform. Art 27 21– 30. 22543319
  27. Levenson R. W. (1994). “ Human emotions: A functional view,” in The Nature of Emotion: Fundamental Questions eds Ekman P. Davidson R. J. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press), 123– 126.
  28. Lipsitz L. A. (2004). Physiological complexity, aging, and the path to frailty. Sci. Aging Knowledge Environ. 2004 e16– e16. 10.1126/sageke.2004.16.pe16 15103055 · DOI
  29. Marangoni A. H. Hurford D. P. (1990). The effect of varying alveolar carbon dioxide levels on free recall. Brain Cogn. 13 77– 85. 10.1016/0278-2626(90)90041-L 2112005 · DOI
  30. Nielsen C. Studer R. K. Hildebrandt H. Nater U. M. Wild P. Danuser B. (2018). The relationship between music performance anxiety, subjective performance quality and post-event rumination among music students. Psychol. Music 46 136– 152. 10.1177/0305735617706539 · DOI
  31. Oudejans R. R. Spitse A. Kralt E. Bakker F. C. (2017). Exploring the thoughts and attentional focus of music students under pressure. Psychol. Music 45 216– 230. 10.1177/0305735616656790 · DOI
  32. Pfaltz M. C. Michael T. Grossman P. Blechert J. Wilhelm F. H. (2009). Respiratory pathophysiology of panic disorder: an ambulatory monitoring study. Psychosom. Med. 71 869– 876. 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181b492ff 19737858 · DOI
  33. Pilger A. Haslacher H. Ponocny-Seliger E. Perkmann T. Böhm K. Budinsky A. (2014). Affective and inflammatory responses among orchestra musicians in performance situation. Brain Behav.Immun. 37 23– 29. 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.10.018 24513877 · DOI
  34. Pool R. (1989). Is it healthy to be chaotic? Science 243 604– 607. 10.1126/science.2916117 2916117 · DOI
  35. Rainville P. Bechara A. Naqvi N. Damasio A. R. (2006). Basic emotions are associated with distinct patterns of cardiorespiratory activity. Int. J. Psychophysiol. 61 5– 18. 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2005.10.024 16439033 · DOI
  36. Ramirez J. M. (2014). The integrative role of the sigh in psychology, physiology, pathology, and neurobiology. Prog. Brain Res. 209 91– 129. 10.1016/B978-0-444-63274-6.00006-0 24746045 PMC4427060 · DOI · Paper page
  37. Ritz T. Wilhelm F. H. Meuret A. E. Gerlach A. L. Roth W. T. (2009). Do blood phobia patients hyperventilate during exposure by breathing faster, deeper, or both? Depress. Anxiety 26 E60– E67. 10.1002/da.20466 19085969 · DOI
  38. Robbins M. L. Mehl M. R. Holleran S. E. Kasle S. (2011). Naturalistically observed sighing and depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a preliminary study. Health Psychol. 30: 129. 10.1037/a0021558 21299301 PMC3059549 · DOI
  39. Sackner M. A. Watson H. Belsito A. S. Feinerman D. Suarez M. Gonzalez G. (1989). Calibration of respiratory inductive plethysmograph during natural breathing. J. Appl. Physiol. 66 410– 420. 10.1152/jappl.1989.66.1.410 2917945 · DOI
  40. Soltysik S. Jelen P. (2005). In rats, sighs correlate with relief. Physiol. Behav. 85 598– 602. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.06.008 16038951 · DOI
  41. Spielberger C. D. (1983). STAI State-trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults Form Y: Review Set; Manual, Test, Scoring Key. Redwood City, CA: Mind Garden, Inc.
  42. Studer R. K. Danuser B. Hildebrandt H. Arial M. Wild P. Gomez P. (2012). Hyperventilation in anticipatory music performance anxiety. Psychosom. Med. 74 773– 782. 10.1097/PSY.0b013e31825e3578 22826290 · DOI
  43. Studer R. K. Danuser B. Wild P. Hildebrandt H. Gomez P. (2014). Psychophysiological activation during preparation, performance, and recovery in high-and low-anxious music students. Appl. Psychophysiol. Biofeedback 39 45– 57. 10.1007/s10484-014-9240-2 24477850 · DOI
  44. Tobin M. J. Chadha T. S. Jenouri G. Birch S. J. Gazeroglu H. B. Sackner M. A. (1983a). Breathing patterns: 1. Normal subjects. Chest 84 202– 205. 10.1016/S0012-3692(15)33498-X 6872603 · DOI
  45. Tobin M. J. Chadha T. S. Jenouri G. Birch S. J. Gazeroglu H. B. Sackner M. A. (1983b). Breathing patterns: 2. Diseased subjects. Chest 84 286– 294. 10.1378/chest.84.3.286 6884104 · DOI · Paper page
  46. Van den Wittenboer G. Van Der Wolf K. Van Dixhoorn J. (2003). Respiratory variability and psychological well-being in schoolchildren. Behav. Modif. 27 653– 670. 10.1177/0145445503256320 14531160 · DOI
  47. Van Diest I. Thayer J. F. Vandeputte B. Van de Woestijne K. P. Van den Bergh O. (2006). Anxiety and respiratory variability. Physiol Behav. 89 189– 195. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.05.041 16859718 · DOI
  48. van Dixhoorn J. (2007). “ Whole-body breathing: a systems perspective on respiratory retraining,” in Principles and Practice of Stress Management 3rd Edn, eds Lehrer P. M. Woolfolk R. L. Sime W. E. (New York, NY: Guilford Press), 291– 332.
  49. Vaschillo E. G. Vaschillo B. Buckman J. F. Nguyen-Louie T. Heiss S. Pandina R. J. (2015). The effects of sighing on the cardiovascular system. Biol. Psychol. 106 86– 95. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.02.007 25720947 PMC4386588 · DOI
  50. Vlemincx E. Abelson J. L. Lehrer P. M. Davenport P. W. Van Diest I. Van den Bergh O. (2013a). Respiratory variability and sighing: a psychophysiological reset model. Biol. Psychol. 93 24– 32. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.12.001 23261937 · DOI
  51. Vlemincx E. Meulders M. Abelson J. L. (2017). Sigh rate during emotional transitions: more evidence for a sigh of relief. Biol. Psychol. 125 163– 172. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.03.005 28315375 · DOI
  52. Vlemincx E. Meulders M. Luminet O. (2018). A sigh of relief or a sigh of expected relief: sigh rate in response to dyspnea relief. Psychophysiology 55 e12979. 10.1111/psyp.12979 28792624 · DOI
  53. Vlemincx E. Taelman J. De Peuter S. Van Diest I. Van Den Bergh O. (2011). Sigh rate and respiratory variability during mental load and sustained attention. Psychophysiology 48 117– 120. 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.01043.x 20536901 · DOI · Paper page
  54. Vlemincx E. Taelman J. Van Diest I. Van den Bergh O. (2010a). Take a deep breath: the relief effect of spontaneous and instructed sighs. Physiol. Behav. 101 67– 73. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.04.015 20417649 · DOI
  55. Vlemincx E. Van Diest I. De Peuter S. Bresseleers J. Bogaerts K. Fannes S. (2009). Why do you sigh? Sigh rate during induced stress and relief. Psychophysiology 46 1005– 1013. 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00842.x 19497009 · DOI
  56. Vlemincx E. Van Diest I. Lehrer P. M. Aubert A. E. Van den Bergh O. (2010b). Respiratory variability preceding and following sighs: a resetter hypothesis. Biol. Psychol. 84 82– 87. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.09.002 19744538 · DOI · Paper page
  57. Vlemincx E. Van Diest I. Van den Bergh O. (2012). A sigh following sustained attention and mental stress: effects on respiratory variability. Physiol. Behav. 107 1– 6. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.05.013 22634279 · DOI
  58. Vlemincx E. Van Diest I. Van den Bergh O. (2015). Emotion, sighing, and respiratory variability. Psychophysiology 52 657– 666. 10.1111/psyp.12396 25524012 · DOI
  59. Vlemincx E. Van Diest I. Van den Bergh O. (2016). A sigh of relief or a sigh to relieve: the psychological and physiological relief effect of deep breaths. Physiol. Behav. 165 127– 135. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.07.004 27404329 · DOI · Paper page
  60. Vlemincx E. Vigo D. Vansteenwegen D. Van den Bergh O. Van Diest I. (2013b). Do not worry, be mindful: Effects of induced worry and mindfulness on respiratory variability in a nonanxious population. Int. J. of Psychophysiol. 87 147– 151. 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.12.002 23266658 · DOI
  61. Wasley D. Taylor A. Backx K. Williamon A. (2012). Influence of fitness and physical activity on cardiovascular reactivity to musical performance. Work 41 27– 32. 10.3233/WOR-2012-1240 22246300 · DOI
  62. Wells R. Outhred T. Heathers J. A. Quintana D. S. Kemp A. H. (2012). Matter over mind: a randomised-controlled trial of single-session biofeedback training on performance anxiety and heart rate variability in musicians. PloS One 7: e46597. 10.1371/journal.pone.0046597 23056361 PMC3464298 · DOI
  63. Wilhelm F. H. Trabert W. Roth W. T. (2001). Physiologic instability in panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Biol. Psychiatry 49 596– 605. 10.1016/s0006-3223(00)01000-3 11297717 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Guyon, A. J. A. A., Cannavò, R., Studer, R. K., Hildebrandt, H., Danuser, B., Vlemincx, E., & Gomez, P.
Affiliations
  • University of Lausanne (CH)
  • FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (CH)
  • Zurich University of the Arts (CH)
  • Queen Mary University of London (GB)
Corresponding author
Gomez, Patrick
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2020-02-26
Volume
11
Pages
303-303
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00303
PMC
PMC7054282
OpenAlex
W3007707385
Cited by
45
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3
FWCI
5.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • SERVAL (Université de Lausanne) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • IRIS (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Lirias (KU Leuven) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (cc-by)
Funders
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Music Therapy and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Musicians’ Health and Performance
Keywords
music performance anxiety, respiratory variation, sighing, music students, public performance, practice performance, pre-performance anxiety, minute ventilation, tidal volume, respiratory monitoring

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review