Key result
Higher parasympathetically mediated heart rate variability and lower heart rate were associated with greater per cent days abstinent over 90 days in 42 adults in early AUD recovery.
Why the study?
Reduced heart rate variability is believed to heighten relapse risk in alcohol use disorder, but associations between in natura heart rate variability and subsequent alcohol use remained unexplored.
Does in natura heart rate variability predict subsequent alcohol use in adults in early recovery from alcohol use disorder?
Cohort (n=42)
Does in natura heart rate variability predict subsequent alcohol use in adults in early recovery from alcohol use disorder?
In natura heart rate variability and lower heart rate predict greater abstinence in early recovery from alcohol use disorder, highlighting autonomic self-regulation as a potential therapeutic target.
May support abstinence risk stratification in early AUD recovery; leaves open autonomic modulation as therapeutic target.
Impairment in autonomic self-regulatory functioning reflected by reduced heart rate variability (HRV) is a common feature of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and is believed to heighten AUD relapse risk. However, to date, no study has explored associations between in natura HRV and subsequent alcohol use among individuals seeking AUD recovery. In this study, 42 adults in the first year of a current AUD recovery attempt were monitored for 4 days using ambulatory electrocardiogram, followed by 90 days of alcohol use monitoring using timeline follow-back. HRV indices (independent variables) reflecting autonomic neurocardiac engagement were calculated from electrocardiogram recordings. Alcohol use (dependent variable) was calculated from timeline follow-back and expressed as per cent days abstinent (PDA). The sample was 73.81% White/European American, 19.05% Black/African American, 4.76% Asian, and 2.38% Other race/Mixed race. As predicted, higher parasympathetically mediated HRV and lower heart rate were associated with greater PDA over 90-day follow-up. Additionally, interactions between these measures and baseline PDA indicated higher parasympathetically mediated HRV and lower heart rate mitigated the deleterious positive association between baseline and follow-up alcohol use. Including factors known to influence alcohol use and/or HRV in the models did not meaningfully alter their results. Findings are consistent with psychophysiological theories implicating autonomic self-regulatory functioning in AUD treatment outcomes and suggest that select HRV indices may have utility as indicants of risk for alcohol use lapse in individuals in early AUD recovery. Findings provide theoretical support for HRV Biofeedback for this population, which exercises the psychophysiological systems that support self-regulation.
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Eddie et al. (2023) conducted a cohort in Alcohol use disorder (n=42). Heart rate variability was evaluated on Per cent days abstinent (PDA) over 90 days. Higher parasympathetically mediated heart rate variability and lower heart rate were associated with greater per cent days abstinent over 90 days in 42 adults in early AUD recovery.
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