Differential Analysis of Heart Rate Variability in School Going Adolescents: Comparing Healthy Individuals with Those Experiencing Depression and Anxiety.

Abstract

Background Adolescents often struggle with depression and anxiety, which can greatly affect their well-being and functioning. Early detection is crucial for timely intervention and long-term health. Objective The objective of this study is to compare heart rate variability between depressed and anxious adolescents and their healthy peers. Method In this cross-sectional study, adolescents aged between 13-18 years were randomly selected from various schools. Participants were assessed for depression and anxiety using the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 (RCADS-25). Heart Rate Variability was measured using Power lab, with recorded variables including Median normal to normal interval (NN), Standard deviation of the normal-to-normal interval (SDNN), Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD), Percentage of successive normal to normal interval differing by more than 50 milliseconds (pNN50), Low frequency power % (LF), High frequency power % (HF), and the LF:HF ratio. Result Reduction in certain time domain HRV parameters was observed among the subset of depressed students in Classes XI and XII, such as NN interval (p=0.019), SDNN (p=0.024), and RMSSD (p=0.034). Anxious adolescents showed a significant reduction in HRV compared to their healthy counterparts [(NN, p<.001), (SDNN, p=0.011), (RMSSD, p=0.017), (pNN50, p=0.016). Students with symptoms of both depression and anxiety demonstrated significantly reduced HRV parameters compared to the healthy group, affecting NN, (p<.001), SDNN, (p=0.003), RMSSD, ( p<.001), pNN50, (p< .001), HFP %, (p< .001) and LF: HF (p=.005). This association was observed in both males and females. Conclusion Adolescents with depression and anxiety have lower HRV than their healthy peers. Monitoring HRV may help to objectively detect these conditions.