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Cited by 21Child Abuse and TraumaHeart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlVagus Nerve Stimulation Research

Childhood maltreatment influences autonomic regulation and mental health in college students

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Dale, Lourdes P., Kolacz, Jacek, Mazmanyan, Jennifer, Leon, Kalie G., Johonnot, Karli, Bossemeyer Biernacki, Nadia, Porges, Stephen W.·2022·Frontiers in Psychiatry
DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.841749PMC PMC9201111
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Abstract

Childhood maltreatment history may influence autonomic reactivity and recovery to stressors. Hypothetically, the maltreatment history may contribute to a retuned autonomic nervous system that is reflected in a novel metric, vagal efficiency (VE), designed to assess the functional efficiency of vagal cardioinhibitory pathways on heart rate. We explored whether VE mediates the well-documented relationship between maltreatment history and psychiatric symptoms. We also investigated the relationship between measures of autonomic regulation in response to the physical and emotional challenges and psychiatric symptoms. Participants (n = 167) completed self-report measures of psychiatric symptoms and had continuous beat-to-beat heart rate monitored before, during, and after physical and emotional stressors. Participants with maltreatment histories exhibited lower VE, which mediated the association of maltreatment history and the psychiatric symptoms of anxiety and depression. Consistent with prior literature, there were significant associations between maltreatment history and autonomic reactivity (i.e., heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia) during emotional and physical challenges; however, when VE was entered as a covariate these associations were no longer statistically significant. Blunted VE may reflect a neural pathway through which maltreatment retunes autonomic regulation and provides a neurophysiological platform that increases mental health risk.

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Authors
Dale, L. P., Kolacz, J., Mazmanyan, J., Leon, K. G., Johonnot, K., Bossemeyer Biernacki, N., & Porges, S. W.
Affiliations
  • University of Florida (US)
  • University of Hartford (US)
  • University of North Florida (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Dale, Lourdes P.
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2022-06-02
Volume
13
Pages
841749-841749
ISSN
1664-0640 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyt.2022.841749
PMC
PMC9201111
OpenAlex
W4281989939
Cited by
21
References
13
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1
FWCI
3.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UNC Libraries
Funders
University of Hartford
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
Keywords
child abuse, autonomic regulation, heart rate variability, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, psychiatric symptoms, anxiety, depression, stress reactivity, university students

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