ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2021
Longitudinal changes in HRV across pregnancy and postpartum: Effect of negative partner relationship qualities.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training Reduces Early Maternal Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women Undergoing Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2024Trial
- Article
- Attenuation of short-term autonomic cardiovascular responses with advancing gestational age.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Article
- Depressive symptoms and heart rate variability in perinatal women: A narrative review.Japan journal of nursing science : JJNS · 2025Review
- Article
- Heart rate variability and perinatal depressive symptoms: A scoping review protocol.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Article
- A bioecological longitudinal study of depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 36 months postpartum.Journal of affective disorders · 2024Article
- Changes in Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability, Breathing Rate, and Skin Temperature throughout Pregnancy and the Impact of Emotions-A Longitudinal Evaluation Using a Sensor Bracelet.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Observational
- Trends in Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability During Pregnancy and the 3-Month Postpartum Period: Continuous Monitoring in a Free-living Context.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
During pregnancy, there are significant physiological changes to support a healthy fetus. Parasympathetic activity normatively decreases across pregnancy, and psychological stress can promote even further decreased heart rate variability (HRV). This study evaluated (1) changes in vagally-mediated HRV from pregnancy to postpartum, (2) changes in vagally-mediated HRV from pregnancy to postpartum based on negative partner relationship qualities, and (3) changes in depressive symptoms from pregnancy to postpartum based on negative partner relationship qualities. 78 participants in their 3rd trimester self-reported their relationship quality with their partner at the first visit. Depressive symptoms and vagally-mediated HRV were evaluated at rest at five time points from 3rd trimester to 12 months postpartum. On average, the only significant increase in vagally-mediated HRV occurred between the 3rd trimester and 4-6 weeks postpartum. However, those who reported more negative partner relationship qualities during their 3rd trimester of pregnancy maintained lower vagally-mediated HRV levels across all of the first year postpartum and significantly lower vagally-mediated HRV at both 4 and 8 months postpartum as compared to people who reported fewer negative partner relationship qualities. Across the first year postpartum, people reporting more negative partner relationship qualities experienced more severe depressive symptoms than their counterparts with fewer negative partner relationship qualities; however, there was no difference in the rate of change of depressive symptoms across the first year postpartum based on negative partner relationship qualities. Because lower vagally-mediated HRV is associated with depressive symptoms, future work should explore the temporal relationship between vagally-mediated HRV and depressive symptoms in the postpartum period.
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