Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr 30;19(9):5475.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095475.

Emotional Self-Regulation in Primary Education: A Heart Rate-Variability Biofeedback Intervention Programme

Aitor Aritzeta  1 , Ainara Aranberri-Ruiz  1 , Goretti Soroa  2 , Rosa Mindeguia  1 , Amaiur Olarza  1
Affiliations

Emotional Self-Regulation in Primary Education: A Heart Rate-Variability Biofeedback Intervention Programme

Aitor Aritzeta et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This study investigated the benefits of using a biofeedback intervention programme to train children in controlling their heart rate variability (HRV) through slow-paced breathing in real time. HRV biofeedback interventions focused on showing subjects to breathe such that their HRV numbers rise, improving their self-regulation. The HRV biofeedback intervention, focused on breathing, was conducted with primary education students aged between 7 and 11 years. The programme consisted of five biofeedback sessions, where students were taught to breathe six long and slow pairs of breaths per minute, to increase their HRV. After participation in the programme, students, regardless of gender, increased their HRV in a statistically significant fashion with a large effect, but this effect was not the same for all ages. HRV biofeedback interventions are rarely applied in schools and given the effectiveness of the intervention to improve HRV in children, the applied implications of our results in educational settings are discussed, especially taking into account the children's ages.

Keywords: HeartMath emWave software; biofeedback intervention; children; heart rate variability; polyvagal theory.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Evolution of the high HRV in all samples.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evolution of the high HRV in cycle 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Silvers J.S., Insel C., Powers A., Franz P., Helion C., Martin R., Weber J., Mischel W., Casey B.J., Ochsner J.N. The transition from childhood to adolescence is marked by a general decrease in amygdala reactivity and an affect-specific ventral-to-dorsal shift in medial prefrontal recruitment. Dev. Cogn. Neurosci. 2017;25:128–137. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.06.005. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Datu J.A.D., King R.B. Subjective well-being is reciprocally associated with academic engagement: A two-wave longitudinal study. J. Sch. Psychol. 2018;69:100–110. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2018.05.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Goldin P.R., Moodie C.A., Gross J.J. Acceptance versus reappraisal: Behavioral, autonomic, and neural effects. Cogn. Affect. Behav. Neurosci. 2019;19:927–944. doi: 10.3758/s13415-019-00690-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thomas J.C., APrON Study Team. Letourneau N., Campbell T.S., Tomfohr-Madsen L., Giesbrecht G.F. Developmental origins of infant emotion regulation: Mediation by temperamental negativity and moderation by maternal sensitivity. Dev. Psychol. 2017;53:611–628. doi: 10.1037/dev0000279. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cruz A. Doctoral Dissertation. Widener University; Chester, PA, USA: 2019. [(accessed on 12 December 2021)]. Biofeedback as an Intervention to Increase Self-Regulation in School-Aged Children in an Urban Charter School. Available online: https://search.proquest.com/docview/2284756111/fulltextPDF/20682CE768684....

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources