Cardiovascular responses to a laboratory stressor in women: Assessing the role of body awareness

Abstract

Body awareness (BA) is characterised by a general tendency towards awareness and recognition of normal, non-emotive bodily processes and physical sensations. BA considers one’s sensitivity towards and belief in how well they can sense, predict, and describe their bodily functions and sensations. This study investigated the role of BA in haemodynamic and anxiety responses to a laboratory stressor. Women (n = 40) completed assessments of BA and state/trait anxiety. Women with low BA displayed higher blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) reactivity in response to the stressor than women with high BA. Delayed HR recovery poststressor was observed in women with low BA. BA was a significant predictor of haemodynamic reactivity over and above trait anxiety. BA effects on state anxiety were not observed. Thus, greater BA is associated with less haemodynamic stress reactivity in women lending further support for the development of BA interventions aimed at stress reduction.

Interoceptive beliefs moderate the link between physiological and emotional arousal during an acute stressor

“…Interestingly, we did not observe a main effect of interoceptive sensibility on high arousal emotional experience (or negative, positive, or low arousal emotion for that matter; see SMs). These findings replicate other work showing no relation between interoceptive sensibility (as measured by the BAQ) and state emotion (Horváth et al, 2021;Lustyk et al, 2012;. Previous work has mostly examined sensibility as a trait in the context of psychopathology, wellbeing, and health behaviors (Forkmann et al, 2019;Palser et al, 2018), suggesting that sensibility may be more relevant for trait emotion.…”

“…One early study found that self-reported heart rate was a more robust correlate of self-reported pleasantness than measured heart rate during a behavioral task (Pennebaker & Hoover, 1984). But recent studies show no relation between interoceptive sensibility (e.g., the BAQ) and emotion states (Horváth et al, 2021;Lustyk et al, 2012;. Despite these null effects, it is possible that the subjective tendency to monitor bodily sensations is important for emotion states because greater attention to interoceptive cues during an emotional event could heighten emotional intensity and/or arousal.…”

Interoceptive beliefs moderate the link between physiological and emotional arousal during an acute stressor.

“…Yet whether sensibility relates to state measures of emotion, such as during an acute stressor, remains underexamined. Recent studies show no relation between sensibility (e.g., the BAQ) and emotion states (Horváth et al, 2021;Lustyk et al, 2012;. Despite these null effects, it is possible that the subjective tendency to monitor bodily sensations is important for emotion states because greater attention to interoceptive cues during an emotional event could heighten emotional intensity and/or arousal.…”

Efficacy of Using Heart Rate Measurements as an Indicator to Monitor Anxiety Disorders: A Scoping Literature Review

“…Evidence from various animal species shows that heart rate responses are closely associated with brainstem regulation via the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) (Gutterman, 1996;Bernston et al, 1993;Hopper et al, 2006;in Pole 2007). Lustyk et al (2012) study suggests that early onset of heart disease may be an outcome of military service among PTSDpositive veterans. Mortality associated to cardiovascular outcomes is linked to elevated resting heart rates (Coote, 2010), a phenomenon likely to be present in individuals with anxiety or panic disorders.…”