Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40534159›Full record

ArticleEuropean psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists2025

Long-term alteration of heart rate variability following childhood maltreatment: Results of a general population study.

Marian Stürmer, Johanna Klinger-König, Marcus Vollmer, Antoine Weihs, Stefan Frenzel, Marcus Dörr, Lars Kaderali, Stephan B Felix, Beate Stubbe, Ralf Ewert and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
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

13 authors.

Marian StürmerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Johanna Klinger-KönigDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2287-7914
Marcus VollmerInstitute of Bioinformatics, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4593-2026
Antoine WeihsDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7113-0027
Stefan FrenzelDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5087-5970
Marcus DörrPartner Site Greifswald, https://ror.org/031t5w623German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7471-475X
Lars KaderaliInstitute of Bioinformatics, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2359-2294
Stephan B FelixPartner Site Greifswald, https://ror.org/031t5w623German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Greifswald, Germany.
Beate StubbeDepartment of Internal Medicine B, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Ralf EwertDepartment of Internal Medicine B, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6746-9925
Henry VölzkePartner Site Greifswald, https://ror.org/031t5w623German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Greifswald, Germany.
Hans J GrabeDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Elischa KrauseDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, https://ror.org/025vngs54University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-7222-2249

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for mental and physical health problems in adulthood, potentially mediated by long-term autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation. To explore this link, the association between CM and vagal-sensitive heart rate variability (HRV) metrics in adults was examined, accounting for biopsychosocial factors.

methodsData from 4,420 participants in the Study of Health in Pomerania were analyzed, with CM assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. HRV was derived from 10-second electrocardiograms and 5-minute pre-sleep polysomnographic recordings. Post hoc analyses examined abuse and neglect.

resultsCM was associated with reduced HRV (logRMSSD:

conclusionsThis study highlights long-term ANS dysregulation following CM, particularly neglect, indicated by altered vagal-sensitive HRV metrics. Although small in magnitude, the effect on the ANS was independent of adult biopsychosocial factors. This long-term dysregulation may contribute to an increased risk of adverse health outcomes in adulthood.

Indexed as

Adult Survivors of Child AbuseAutonomic Nervous SystemHeart RateAdultAgedElectrocardiographyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPolysomnographychildhood maltreatmentCTQECGheart rate variabilityRMSSD

Identifiers

PMID40534159
PMCPMC12260733

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Registered trials

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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.