Heart rate reactivity to acute psychological stress predicts higher levels of PTSD symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ginty, Annie T; Young, Danielle A; Tyra, Alexandra T; Hurley, Page E; Brindle, Ryan C; Williams, Sarah E

OBJECTIVE Increased autonomic arousal is a proposed risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few studies have prospectively examined the association between physiological responses to acute psychological stress prior to a traumatic event with later PTSD symptoms. The present prospective study examined whether cardiovascular responses to an acute psychological stress task prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic predicted PTSD symptoms related to the ongoing pandemic. METHOD Participants (N = 120) were a subsample of an ongoing research study. Phase 1 consisted of a 10-minute baseline and 4-minute acute psychological stress task with blood pressure and heart rate recorded throughout. Phase 2 was initiated two weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration. Participants completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) with respect to the ongoing pandemic. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to examine whether cardiovascular stress reactivity predicted COVID-19 PTSD symptoms. RESULTS Heart rate reactivity significantly predicted IES-intrusion, b = -.208, t = -2.28, p = .025, DR = .041, CI: [-.021 - -.001] and IES-hyperarousal b = -.224, t = -2.54, p = .012, DR = .047, CI: [-0.22 - - .003], but not IES-avoidance (p = .077). These results remained statistically significant after adjustment for gender, socioeconomic status, baseline cardiovascular activity, neuroticism, race, ethnicity, body mass index, and adverse childhood experiences. There were no statistically significant associations between blood pressure with any of the IES-R subscales (p's > .12). CONCLUSIONS Diminished heart rate responses (i.e., lower physiological arousal) to acute psychological stress prior to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly predicted reported PTSD symptoms during the crisis.