The goals of the present study were to investigate links between changes in peer victimization from elementary to high school and adolescent reactive aggression (Goal 1), whether heightened autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity to social and nonsocial stress increases risk for adolescent reactive aggression (Goal 2), and whether increased ANS reactivity strengthens the association between changes in victimization and adolescent reactive aggression (Goal 3). Participants included 145 adolescents ( = 16; 54% female; 76% European American, 13% African American, 11% Latino American, 7% Asian American, 5% of mixed race or ethnicity; 60% with family incomes of $100,000 or greater). We collected self-report data in elementary (Time 1 [T1]); (Time 2 [T2]); middle (Time 3 [T3]); and high school (Time 4 [T4]) to assess victimization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Psychophysiol Biofeedback
September 2024
Slow-paced breathing at an individual's resonance frequency (RF) is a common element of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training (Laborde et al. in Psychophysiology 59:e13952, 2022). Although there is strong empirical support for teaching clients to slow their respiration rate (RR) to the adult RF range between 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUntreated psychosis in adolescents and young adults is associated with significant and progressive impairment. Early intervention to provide support and treatment for those at risk of psychosis is essential. Several early intervention models have been developed for those at-risk and those who are victims of a recent episode - including the Portland Identification and Early Referral model (PIER; McFarlane, 2001).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Psychophysiol Biofeedback
March 2023
Paced breathing and rhythmical skeletal muscle tension (RSMT) at an individual's resonance frequency [~ 6 breaths or contractions per min (cpm)] can stimulate the arterial and vascular tone baroreflexes. Lehrer (Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 1-10, 2022, https://doi.org/10.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe current study investigated in-the-moment links between adolescents' autonomic nervous system activity and susceptibility to three types of peer influence (indirect, direct, continuing) on two types of behavior (antisocial, prosocial). The sample included 144 racially ethnically diverse adolescents (46% male, 53% female, 1% other; = 16.02 years).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Psychophysiol Biofeedback
December 2022
This article celebrates the contributors who inspired Truman's heart rate variability (HRV) research program. These seminal influences include Robert Fried, Richard Gevirtz, Paul Lehrer, Erik Peper, and Evgeny Vaschillo. The Truman State University Applied Psychophysiology Laboratory's HRV research has spanned five arcs: interventions to teach diaphragmatic breathing, adjunctive procedures to increase HRV, HRV biofeedback (HRVB) training studies, the concurrent validity of ultra-short-term HRV measurements, and rhythmical skeletal muscle tension strategies to increase HRV.
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September 2022
Breathing at the resonance frequency (~ 6 breaths per min) produces resonance effects on baroreflex gain, blood pressure, vascular tone, and therapeutic benefits. Evgeny Vaschillo and Paul Lehrer have emphasized that the stimulation frequency is critical for producing resonance effects in the cardiorespiratory system. Although clinicians overwhelmingly use paced breathing to increase HRV, other promising methods exist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRes Child Adolesc Psychopathol
May 2022
The goal of the current longitudinal study was to investigate the role of adolescents' peer victimization and aggression prior to COVID-19 on the change in their depressive and anxious symptoms from pre- to mid-pandemic. We hypothesized that, although adolescents overall would display an increase in internalizing symptoms from pre- to mid-pandemic, this response would be weakened or perhaps even reversed when adolescents experienced high levels of victimization or aggression prior to the pandemic. Participants included 96 racially/ethnically diverse adolescents (42 males, 53 females; 1 other) with an average age of 16.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRes Child Adolesc Psychopathol
June 2021
The goals of the current study were to use a three-reporter methodology and multi-level Latent Profile Analysis: (a) to determine the victim groups that emerge; (b) to evaluate the stability of victim groups over one school year; and (c) to examine differences among victim groups across the adjustment constructs of aggression, depression, anxiety, and negative peer relations. Our sample included 1440 racially/ethnically diverse 4- and 5-grade children (M = 10.15; 50% female).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neurosci
November 2020
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the fluctuation in time between successive heartbeats and is defined by interbeat intervals. Researchers have shown that short-term (∼5-min) and long-term (≥24-h) HRV measurements are associated with adaptability, health, mobilization, and use of limited regulatory resources, and performance. Long-term HRV recordings predict health outcomes heart attack, stroke, and all-cause mortality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeart rate variability (HRV) represents fluctuations in the time intervals between successive heartbeats, which are termed interbeat intervals. HRV is an emergent property of complex cardiac-brain interactions and non-linear autonomic nervous system (ANS) processes. A healthy heart is not a metronome because it exhibits complex non-linear oscillations characterized by mathematical chaos.
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