title: Gender differences in cardiac autonomic modulation during medical internship.
abstract: Medical internship is known to be a time of high stress and long working hours, which increases the risk of depression and cardiovascular disease. Gender differences in medical interns' cardiovascular risk have not been reported previously. Thirty-eight medical interns (29 males) were repeatedly tested for depressive symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and 5-min spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) at 3-month intervals during their internship. Among the male interns, the variance of the heart rate decreased at 6, 9, 12 months, and a reduced high frequency, which suggests reduced cardiac parasympathetic modulation, was found at 9 and 12 months into their internship. Increased depressive symptoms were also identified at 12 months in the male group. No significant differences in depression or any of the HRV indices were identified among the female interns during their internship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Hsuan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ching-Yen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sheng-Hsuan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chun-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wei-Hung
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Terry B J
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Cheryl C H
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013337:Students, Medical; D055815:Young Adult