The effect of chronic anxiety level upon self control of heart rate

https://doi.org/10.1016/0301-0511(77)90024-2Get rights and content

Abstract

A sample of 90 subjects were rated on the IPAT anxiety scale and 5 subjects (3 male and 2 female) per group were selected from each of the high and low anxiety categories. All subjects were naive participants in heart rate biofeedback sessions utilising analogue visual feedback. Following a heart rate baseline (no feedback) session, all subjects were required to raise their heart rate and lower their heart rate in two separate trials, a visual ‘target’ criteria being provided. The data collected consisted of a resting baseline heart rate value, mean heart rate increase, and mean heart decrease values expressed as beats per minute. Results indicated a marked ability for highly anxious subjects to self-induce heart rate increases only and for low anxious subjects to decrease their heart rate only.

References (19)

  • D. McGuinness

    Cardiovascular responses during habituation and mental activity in anxious men and women

    Biological Psychology

    (1973)
  • J. Brener et al.

    The effects of different exposures to augmented sensory feedback on the control of heart rate

    Psychophysiology

    (1969)
  • T.H. Budzynski et al.

    EMG biofeedback and tension headache, a controlled outcome study

  • R.B. Cattell et al.

    IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire

    (1963)
  • B.T. Engel

    Clinical applications of operant conditioning techniques in the control of cardiac arrhythmias

  • W.W. Finley

    The effect of feedback on the control of cardiac rate

    Journal of Psychology

    (1971)
  • M. Frankenhaeuser

    Experimental approaches to the study of catecholamines and emotion

  • M. Frankenhaeuser

    Sympathetic-adrenomedullary activity, behaviour and the psychosocial environment

  • E. Green et al.

    Preliminary report on the use of autogenic feedback techniques in the treatment of migraine and tension headaches

    Psychosomatic Medicine

    (1973)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (0)

∗

Dr. Diane McGuinness, San Francisco Rehabilitation Engineering Center, 2232 Webster Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94115, U.S.A.

View full text
Copyright © 1977 Published by Elsevier B.V.