Vol. 49 No. 1 (2017), Sport Psychology Abstracts
Vol. 49 No. 1 (2017)

Heart rate variability analysis and mental health outcomes in university female hockey players

Sport Psychology Abstracts
Published 2017-11-15
Kaitlyn G Jacobs
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
Emilie Woerhle
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
Stephen Klassen
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
Sarah Deck
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
Despina Kouali
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
Dave Humphreys
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
Craig Hall
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
J Kevin Shoemaker
School of Kinesiology & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, ON, Canada

Abstract

Exercise improves anxiety and depression, both of which are associated with impaired autonomic regulation of heart rate. Measuring heart rate variability (HRV) provides a means to measure physiologic consequences of external stressors and has a primary application in clinical settings. The influence of mental health on HRV remains understudied in university student athletes who experience stresses to perform both academically and athletically. The current study evaluated HRV as an indicator of psychological resilience in female varsity hockey players. Seventeen healthy female hockey players at Western University aged 17-23 (M = 21, SD = 1.5, BMI: 26.3 ± 1.9kg/m2) participated in this study at three time points throughout the 7-month season. Five minutes of steady-state R-R recordings (Bodyguard-2 device; Firstbeat Technologies Ltd.) were collected 30 minutes following the participants' recorded onset of sleep. Surveys of general anxiety (GAD-7) Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and Mental Health Inventory (MHI) were completed prior to games. Measures of HRV, specifically the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) were calculated from continuous R-R data. Throughout the season, BRS scores significantly increased from time one to time three (3.64 ± 0.28 vs. 4.18 ± 0.36, p < 0.05, respectively), and RMSSD correspondingly increased from time one to time three (59 ± 18 ms vs. 72 ± 28 ms, p < 0.01, respectively). Despite the demanding 7-month hockey season both RMSSD and BRS improved. However, they showed no correlation signifying the proposed relationship between RMSSD and resilience is not supported by the current data.