The aim of this systematic review was to explore studies regarding association
between occupational stress and heart rate variability (HRV) during work. We searched
PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cinahl and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed articles published
in English between January 2005 and September 2017. A total of 10 articles met the
inclusion criteria. The included articles were analyzed in terms of study design, study
population, assessment of occupational stress and HRV, and the study limitations. Among
the studies there were cross-sectional (n=9) studies and one longitudinal study design.
Sample size varied from 19 to 653 participants and both females and males were included.
The most common assessment methods of occupational stress were the Job Content
Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) questionnaire. HRV was assessed
using 24 h or longer Holter ECG or HR monitoring and analyzed mostly using standard
time-domain and frequency-domain parameters. The main finding was that heightened
occupational stress was found associated with lowered HRV, specifically with reduced
parasympathetic activation. Reduced parasympathetic activation was seen as decreases in
RMSSD and HF power, and increase in LF/HF ratio. The assessment and analysis methods of
occupational stress and HRV were diverse.