A 6-week mindfulness-based intervention significantly lowered DFA α1 values in response to acute stressors compared to an active control group, indicating modulated autonomic stress responding.
RCT (n=25)
Randomized
No
Does a six-week mindfulness-based intervention alter heart rate variability and self-reported stress in first-year college students?
A six-week mindfulness-based intervention significantly altered nonlinear heart rate variability (DFA α1) during acute stress in college students, suggesting improved autonomic regulation.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been consistently associated with reductions in perceived stress and anxiety. One proposed mechanism underlying these effects involves a shift toward parasympathetic dominance during stress exposure, facilitating enhanced emotion regulation and physiological adaptability; however, empirical evidence on this mechanism remains inclusive. In this randomized controlled trial, 25 first-year college students were assigned to either a six-week MBI program or an active control condition. Psychophysiological responses to acute stressors were assessed in conjunction with self-reported measures of stress and anxiety, both before and after the intervention. Linear (RMSSD) and nonlinear (sample entropy and DFA α1) indices of heart rate variability (HRV) were compared between groups. Although both groups reported significant post-intervention reductions in stress and anxiety, participants in the MBI group exhibited significantly lower DFA α1 values in response to acute stressors as compared to the control group. No such differences were found for heart rate or RMSSD. These preliminary findings suggest that mindfulness may modulate the dynamic organization of autonomic stress responding during active challenge, and that nonlinear HRV metrics may be particularly sensitive to mindfulness-related changes in cardiovascular regulation under acute stress.
Gao et al. (Sat,) conducted a rct in Healthy first-year college students (n=25). Mindfulness-based intervention (Learning to BREATHE) vs. Active control group (psychoeducation and art-based activities) was evaluated on DFA α1 values in response to acute stressors. A 6-week mindfulness-based intervention significantly lowered DFA α1 values in response to acute stressors compared to an active control group, indicating modulated autonomic stress responding.