title: Psychological pain and reduced resting-state heart rate variability in adults with a history of depression.
abstract: Psychological pain is a prominent symptom in people who experience depression, but its relation with physiological measures has not been explored. This study compared two measures of psychological pain, the Orbach & Mikulincer Mental Pain (OMMP) questionnaire and the Psychache Scale, for their relationship with resting-state heart rate variability (HRV) in 35 adults with a history of depression. Low-frequency HRV decreased significantly with increasing psychological pain, particularly in participants who did not use antidepressants, while the beat-to-beat fractal dimension decreased in participants who did use antidepressants. Neither heart rate nor high-frequency HRV was associated with psychological pain. These results suggest a state of arousal characterized by increased sympathetic activity. Results also indicate that the OMMP may be a more accurate measure of autonomic arousal associated with current psychological pain than the Psychache Scale.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Systems, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Esther L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Meerwijk
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Chesla
authors.forename: Sandra J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents
keywords: Autonomic nervous system; Emotional pain; Heart rate variability; Mental pain; Nonlinear measures; Psychological pain