Key result
Blood phobia is linked to larger RSA versus controls, pointing to altered resting vagal activity.
Why the study?
Differences in vagal activity at rest between blood-phobic subjects and controls were not well characterized.
Does Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) differ between blood-phobic subjects and controls during a paced respiration task?
Case-Control (n=62)
Does Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) differ between blood-phobic subjects and controls during a paced respiration task?
Blood-phobic subjects demonstrate larger respiratory sinus arrhythmia compared to controls, indicating higher resting vagal activity.
Larger resting vagal activity in blood phobia warrants no practice change; hypothesis-generating for autonomic mechanisms in anxiety disorders.
12 blood-phobic subjects, selected according to the Fear Survey Schedule and the Mutilation Questionnaire, and 50 control subjects performed a paced respiration task during which heart rate and respiration were recorded. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) was analyzed as an autonomic index of vagal influence on the heart. Analysis showed a larger RSA in the blood-phobic group than the controls and points to a difference in vagal activity at rest between the groups.
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Angrilli et al. (1997) conducted a case-control in Blood phobia (n=62). Blood phobia vs. Control subjects was evaluated on Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA). Blood phobia was associated with a larger Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia compared to controls during a paced respiration task, pointing to a difference in vagal activity at rest.
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