Research shows that 20% of grandmothers raising grandchildren experience stress and depression. Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback may help grandmothers track and regulate their physiological response to stress. This study therefore examined correlations between coherence scores reflecting HRV and self-report measures of stress, negative emotions, and depressive cognitions in 20 grandmothers raising grandchildren. Higher coherence scores were inversely and significantly correlated with self-report measures, suggesting the need to examine the effects of HRV biofeedback on biomarkers reflecting stress and depression.
Copyright: © Association for Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback
Contributor Notes
Correspondence: Jaclene A. Zauszniewski, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, Kate Hanna Harvey Professor of Community Health Nursing, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, email: jaz@case.edu.