Vagally-mediated heart rate variability longitudinally predicts test anxiety in university students.

IF 2.3 3区心理学 Q2 PSYCHIATRY

Anxiety Stress and Coping Pub Date : 2025-07-01 Epub Date: 2025-02-02 DOI:10.1080/10615806.2025.2460230

Lena Mareen Grabo, André Schulz, Silja Bellingrath

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background and objectives: Self-regulatory processes, namely behavioral regulation (in terms of executive functions) and emotion regulation, are assumed to be central for test anxiety. Both self-regulation components, along with vagally-mediated heart rate variability (HRV) - a proposed concomitant of top-down self-regulation - are associated with anxiety.

Design: A longitudinal design was adopted to test the hypotheses that (1) higher vagally-mediated HRV, (2) adaptive emotion regulation and (3) better executive functioning (i.e., higher inhibitory control) at the semester beginning (t1) predict lower levels of test anxiety at the end of the semester (t2).

Methods: A sample of N = 70 (58 female) university students (M [SD] age = 25.04 [7.14] years) completed a measurement of resting HRV (RMSSD), performed an affective go/no-go task, and reported on emotion regulation and test anxiety at t1. Test anxiety and certain examination characteristics were assessed at t2. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses.

Results: Supporting hypothesis 1, HRV at t1 significantly predicted test anxiety at t2, whereas emotion regulation and inhibitory control were no significant predictors.

Conclusions: As vagally-mediated HRV seems meaningful for the prediction of test anxiety, interventions designed to reduce test anxiety could benefit from incorporating HRV biofeedback training.

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迷走神经介导的心率变异性纵向预测大学生的考试焦虑。

背景和目的：自我调节过程，即行为调节（就执行功能而言）和情绪调节，被认为是考试焦虑的核心。这两种自我调节成分，以及迷走神经介导的心率变异性（HRV）——一种提出的自上而下的自我调节的伴随物——都与焦虑有关。设计：采用纵向设计来检验以下假设：(1)较高的迷走神经介导的HRV，(2)适应性情绪调节和(3)较好的执行功能（即较高的抑制控制）在学期开始时（t1）预测学期结束时（t2）较低的考试焦虑水平。方法：选取年龄25.04[7.14]岁的女大学生N = 70（58）名，完成静息HRV （RMSSD）测量，执行情感性go/no-go任务，并在t1时报告情绪调节和考试焦虑。在t2时评估考试焦虑和某些考试特征。采用层次回归分析对假设进行检验。结果：支持假设1，t1时的HRV显著预测t2时的考试焦虑，而情绪调节和抑制控制不显著预测。结论：由于迷走神经介导的HRV似乎对预测考试焦虑有意义，因此纳入HRV生物反馈训练的干预措施可以减少考试焦虑。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Anxiety Stress and Coping Multiple-

CiteScore

7.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： This journal provides a forum for scientific, theoretically important, and clinically significant research reports and conceptual contributions. It deals with experimental and field studies on anxiety dimensions and stress and coping processes, but also with related topics such as the antecedents and consequences of stress and emotion. We also encourage submissions contributing to the understanding of the relationship between psychological and physiological processes, specific for stress and anxiety. Manuscripts should report novel findings that are of interest to an international readership. While the journal is open to a diversity of articles.