What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: Chronic caregiving stress (n=28). Intervention: Slow-paced breathing (SPB) vs. Resting baseline and cognitive stress. Primary outcome: Heart rate variability (HRV) and emotional responses.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This pilot study aims to assess the effects of chronic caregiving stress on mothers of children with disabilities and the impact of slow-paced breathing on heart rate variability and emotional responses.

February 28, 2026

Heart Rate Variability and Slow-Paced Breathing in Mothers of Children with Disabilities: Autonomic Flexibility Under Chronic Caregiving Stress

Key Result

Slow-paced breathing significantly increased global HRV indices (SDNN, TP) and reduced anxiety and tension, facilitating short-term autonomic recovery in chronically stressed caregivers.

Key Points

This pilot study aims to assess the effects of chronic caregiving stress on mothers of children with disabilities and the impact of slow-paced breathing on heart rate variability and emotional responses.
Fourteen caregiving mothers and 14 age-matched controls participated in three conditions: resting baseline, cognitive stress, and slow-paced breathing.
Psychological distress, resilience, body composition, musculoskeletal pain, HRV, and emotional states were measured during each condition.
Statistical analyses were performed to compare HRV indices and emotional responses between caregivers and controls.
Caregivers exhibited greater psychological distress and lower resilience compared to controls, alongside increased visceral fat and musculoskeletal pain.
HRV indices (SDNN, TP) significantly reduced in caregivers, contrasting with stable vagal measures (RMSSD, ln(HF)).
Post slow-paced breathing, HRV indices (SDNN, TP, ln(LF), LF/HF) improved, while caregivers still reported high perceived stress despite physiological recovery.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=28)

Structured PICO

Does slow-paced breathing improve heart rate variability and emotional responses in chronically stressed mothers of children with disabilities?

Population

14 caregiving mothers of children with disabilities (mean age 49.0 ± 8.6 years) and 14 age-matched controls (mean age 43.9 ± 5.8 years), total n=28.

Intervention

Slow-paced breathing (SPB; ~0.1 Hz) for five minutes.

Comparator

Resting baseline and cognitive stress conditions (within-subject), and age-matched healthy controls (between-subject).

Outcome

Heart rate variability (HRV) and emotional responses.surrogate

Slow-paced breathing is a rapid, non-pharmacological intervention that facilitates short-term autonomic recovery and emotional stabilization in chronically stressed caregivers.

Abstract

This pilot study examined the psychological, physiological, and autonomic effects of chronic caregiving stress in mothers of children with disabilities and evaluated the acute impact of slow-paced breathing (SPB; ~0.1 Hz) on heart rate variability (HRV) and emotional responses. Fourteen caregiving mothers (M = 49.0 ± 8.6 years) and 14 age-matched controls (M = 43.9 ± 5.8 years) participated in three five-minute conditions: resting baseline, cognitive stress, and SPB. Measures included psychological distress, resilience, body composition, musculoskeletal pain, HRV, and emotional states. Caregivers showed greater psychological distress, lower resilience, and higher visceral adiposity and musculoskeletal pain than controls. Global HRV indices (SDNN, TP) were significantly reduced in caregivers, reflecting diminished integrative autonomic capacity, whereas vagally mediated measures (RMSSD, ln(HF)) remained comparable, indicating preserved basal vagal tone despite chronic stress exposure. During SPB, SDNN, TP, ln(LF), and LF/HF increased significantly, while RMSSD and ln(HF) remained stable, suggesting a resonance-driven reorganization of autonomic activity through enhanced baroreflex-vagal coupling rather than direct vagal amplification. Emotionally, both groups showed reduced anxiety and tension following SPB; however, caregivers continued to report elevated perceived stress, indicating a psychophysiological dissociation between physiological recovery and subjective experience. These findings provide preliminary evidence that SPB facilitates short-term autonomic recovery and emotional stabilization in chronically stressed caregivers. As a rapid, low-burden, and non-pharmacological intervention, SPB holds promise for enhancing autonomic coherence and stress resilience when incorporated into caregiver support programs.

Bookmark