Relationship between heart rate variability and aggressive behavior among patients with schizophrenia hospitalized in acute wards.

Purpose: To explore the state of mental treatment, heart rate variability (HRV), level of aggressive behavior, and their relationships among hospitalized patients with schizophrenia.

Design And Methods: This study adopted a follow-up design and convenience sampling. Thirty-three subjects completed the questionnaire, and their HRV indices were measured.

Findings: Patients' psychiatric symptoms showed a significant downward trend after hospitalization (P = .003). The standard deviation of the normal-to-normal intervals in the morning was significantly correlated with overall aggression, physical aggression, and verbal aggression.

Practice Implications: HRV can be regularly monitored among inpatients with schizophrenia with a risk of high aggression as an indicator of possible aggressive behavior.