The Impact of a Romantic Partner on Patient Experience of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback: Recommendations and Considerations for Clinicians

Abstract Biofeedback is a health intervention that trains people to exert control over physiological processes through real-time monitoring and feedback mechanisms (Schwartz et al., 2016). One modality, heart rate variability biofeedback, can be used to promote self-regulation and manage stress (Lehrer et al., 2020; Tan et al., 2016). However, these interventions are often conducted individually and practitioners rarely utilize the patient’s social network to assist in the development of self-regulation skills (Frank et al., 2010; Schwartz et al., 2016). This is a notable omission since research has established that social systems impact patients’ psychophysiology (Kleinbub, 2017). Participants (N = 12) completed a heart rate variability biofeedback intervention with their romantic partner either present or absent from the room. A qualitative interview was conducted with the romantic partners (N = 12) to explore how the presence or absence of a partner impacted the participants’ experience of the intervention. Based on the themes generated from the interviews, a series of recommendations for clinicians are provided to encourage participation of social support persons during biofeedback interventions.