Physiological Regulation and Multisensory Environments: An Analysis of Cardiac Coherence and Heart Rate Variability in Upper Secondary School Students

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Healthy students (n=72). Intervention: Multisensory environment vs. Traditional classroom. Primary outcome: Coherence peaks (p=0.009).

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Multisensory environments promote greater physiological stability and significantly reduce cardiac coherence peaks in upper secondary school students compared to standard classroom settings. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Stefania Morsanuto; Luna Lembo; Perrotta D; Elisabetta Tombolini; Giorgia Peluso Cassese

doi:10.32043/gsd.v9i2.1526

June 20, 2025Giornale Italiano di Educazione alla Salute, Sport e Didattica InclusivaOpen Access

Physiological Regulation and Multisensory Environments: An Analysis of Cardiac Coherence and Heart Rate Variability in Upper Secondary School Students

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Key result

Multisensory environment linked to ~19% fewer cardiac coherence peaks vs a standard classroom.

P=0.009
n=72

Why the study?

The impact of multisensory environments on physiological regulation in upper secondary students was not well characterized.

Does a multisensory environment improve physiological regulation (heart rate and coherence) in upper secondary school students compared to a standard classroom?

Key Points

To assess the impact of exposure to a multisensory room on physiological regulation, heart rate, and cardiac coherence in upper secondary students compared to a standard classroom.
Recorded heart rate, average cardiac coherence, and coherence peaks in upper secondary students using biometric sensors across both a classroom and a multisensory room.
Conducted measurements across two short sessions without randomisation in condition order, evaluating physiological differences via regression analyses, t-tests, and ANOVA.
Coherence peaks showed a statistically significant reduction in the multisensory room compared to the classroom (p = 0.009), indicating lower dispersion and greater psychophysiological stability.
Heart rate decreased in the multisensory room for both genders, with males demonstrating a mean decrease of 5.4 bpm and females decreasing by -1.9 bpm, though t-tests and ANOVA revealed no significant main effects for time or gender.
Classroom coherence significantly predicted multisensory room coherence levels (β = 0.25, p = 0.002), with a moderate correlation observed between both settings (r = 0.43).

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=72)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does a multisensory environment improve physiological regulation (heart rate and coherence) in upper secondary school students compared to a standard classroom?

P

Population

72 upper secondary school students aged 17 to 18 participated in 5-minute sessions to compare physiological regulation between a traditional classroom and a multisensory room.

I

Intervention

5-minute session in a multisensory room equipped with soft lighting, harmonious visual stimuli, natural sounds, and tactile materials.

C

Comparator

5-minute session in a standard classroom during standard educational activity, seated and silent.

O

Outcome

Heart rate (HR), average heart coherence (AVG), and coherence peaks (POINT) measured via biometric sensors.surrogate

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 61.08% vs 75.38%

p-value: p=0.009

A multisensory environment significantly reduces coherence peaks and promotes physiological stability in high school students compared to a standard classroom.

Limitations

Relatively small sample size
Absence of randomisation in the order of conditions
Lack of follow-up measurements
Data were collected across only two short sessions
Individual variability points to heterogeneous subjective responses, warranting further investigation.

Implication

Multisensory settings may support autonomic stability in adolescents; Level 5 data leave open clinical translation or practice change.

Abstract

This study examines the impact of a multisensory environment on the physiological regulation of upper secondary students. Using biometric sensors, heart rate, coherence, and coherence peaks were recorded in both classroom and sensory room. Results showed greater physiological stability and a significant reduction in coherence peaks in the multisensory setting.

Discussion

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Cite This Study

Morsanuto et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy students (n=72). Multisensory environment vs. Traditional classroom was evaluated on Coherence peaks (p=0.009). Exposure to a multisensory environment significantly reduced cardiac coherence peaks compared to a traditional classroom (61.08 vs 75.38, p=0.009), indicating greater physiological stability.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6abda8f14d657f10339f951b https://doi.org/10.32043/gsd.v9i2.1526

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Physiological Regulation and Multisensory Environments: An Analysis of Cardiac Coherence and Heart Rate Variability in Upper Secondary School Students

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Physiological Regulation and Multisensory Environments: An Analysis of Cardiac Coherence and Heart Rate Variability in Upper Secondary School Students

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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