Effect of autogenic training on cardiac autonomic nervous activity in high-risk fire service workers for posttraumatic stress disorder.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the effect of autogenic training (AT) on cardiac autonomic nervous activity in fire services workers with the use of the questionnaire of the Japanese-language version of Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R-J) and indexes of heart rate variability.


METHODS
We studied 22 male fire services workers who were divided into posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related stress group (n=10) and control group (n=12). They underwent AT twice or three times a week for 2 months.


RESULTS
Posttraumatic stress disorder-related stress group showed a significantly higher cardiac sympathetic nervous activity and a significantly lower cardiac parasympathetic nervous activity than control group at baseline. Autogenic training significantly decreased cardiac sympathetic nervous activity and significantly increased cardiac parasympathetic nervous activity in both groups. These changes were accompanied by a significant decrease in the total points of IES-R-J.


CONCLUSIONS
Autogenic training is effective for ameliorating the disturbance of cardiac autonomic nervous activity and psychological issues secondary to PTSD.
Mitani
Satoko
S
Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, Kyoto University Graduate School of Public Health, Yoshida-Konoe cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Fujita
Masatoshi
M
Sakamoto
Satoko
S
Shirakawa
Taro
T
D000328:Adult; D001326:Autogenic Training; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D018635:Rescue Work; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*