Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39463192›Full record

Trial reportApplied psychophysiology and biofeedback2025

Can HRV Biofeedback Training Improve the Mental Resilience of Icelandic Police Officers?

Sigrún Þóra Sveinsdóttir, Paul Lehrer, Kamilla Rún Jóhannsdóttir

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sigrún Þóra SveinsdóttirDepartment of Psychology, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland. sigruns21@ru.is.
Paul LehrerDepartment of Psychiatry, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
Kamilla Rún JóhannsdóttirDepartment of Psychology, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

High heart rate variability (HRV) is increasingly recognized as an indicator of a healthy regulatory system, reflecting the dynamic balance between sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PSNS) nervous system activity. According to the neurovisceral integration model, this balance is managed by the central autonomic network (CAN), comprised of specific brain regions involved in emotional, attentional, and autonomic regulation. HRV thus reflects the performance of the cognitive, affective, and autonomic regulation system. Numerous studies support the relationship between HRV and the CAN, including research on HRV biofeedback training (HRVBF). Studies on the effectiveness of HRVBF for professions such as police officers have shown improvements in self-regulation, decision-making, and performance. However, few studies have specifically explored HRVBF's influence on HRV metrics in police officers, highlighting a need for further research. This study addresses this gap by randomly assigning 27 Icelandic police officers to intervention or wait-list control groups. The intervention group underwent a five-week HRVBF program, including group and individual training sessions. Results showed significant increases in HRV metrics for the intervention group, indicating improved autonomic function and stress resilience. Mental resilience increased significantly as measured by subjective measures of attentional control, mindful awareness, and reduced fatigue. These findings support the efficacy of HRVBF in enhancing HRV and mental resilience for police officers, suggesting its applicability and potential for integration into existing training programs.

Indexed as

Autonomic Nervous SystemBiofeedback, PsychologyHeart RateOccupational StressPoliceResilience, PsychologicalAdultFemaleHumansIcelandMaleHeart rate variabilityHRV biofeedbackMental resiliencePolice officersRMSSD

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.