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. 2015 Nov;3(6):831-834.
doi: 10.3892/br.2015.512. Epub 2015 Aug 28.

Assessment of autonomic nervous system function in nursing students using an autonomic reflex orthostatic test by heart rate spectral analysis

Mao Hasegawa  1 , Azusa Hayano  1 , Atsushi Kawaguchi  2 , Ryuya Yamanaka  1
Affiliations

Assessment of autonomic nervous system function in nursing students using an autonomic reflex orthostatic test by heart rate spectral analysis

Mao Hasegawa et al. Biomed Rep. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

Nursing students experience academic demands, such as tests, theoretical and practical coursework, research activities, various aspects of professional practice, and contact with health professionals and patients. Consequently, nursing students face numerous types of stress, and increased stress levels contribute to physical and psychological distress in nursing students. The aim of the present study was to investigate the autonomic nervous system function of nursing students by assessing active standing load using the autonomic reflex orthostatic tolerance test, which enables quantitative analysis of dynamic autonomic nervous system function. The autonomic nervous system activity in the resting state was low in fourth-year students, they had parasympathetic hypotension, and there was a tendency towards higher sympathetic nervous system activity of fourth-year students compared with first-, second- and third-year students. In the standing state, there was a trend towards a higher autonomic nervous system activity response of fourth-year students compared with first-, second- and third-year students. These results suggest that stress may influence autonomic nervous activity in fourth-year nursing students. By correcting stress in fourth-year nursing students, it may be possible to prevent the development of health problems.

Keywords: autonomic nervous activity; autonomic reflex orthostatic tolerance test; heart rate variability analysis; nursing school students; stress reaction.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Autonomic nervous system functions at the resting state comparing fourth-year nursing students with first- to third-year nursing students. (A) CVRR (P=0.025), (B) LF/HF (P=0.19) and (C) CCVHF (P=0.04). CVRR, coefficient of variation of R-R intervals; LF, low-frequency; HF, high-frequency; CCVHF, coefficient of component variance for HF.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Autonomic nervous system functions at the standing state comparing fourth-year nursing students with first- to third-year nursing students. (A) ΔCVRR (P=0.07), (B) ΔLF/HF (P=0.66) and (C) ΔCCVHF (P=0.26). CVRR, coefficient of variation of R-R intervals; LF, low-frequency; HF, high-frequency; CCVHF, coefficient of component variance for HF.
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