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Nyamathi AM, Salem BE, Gelberg L, Garfin DR, Wolitsky-Taylor K, Shin SS, Yu Z, Hudson A, Yadav K, Clarke R, Alikhani M, van Cise E, Lee D. Pilot randomized controlled trial of biofeedback on reducing psychological and physiological stress among persons experiencing homelessness. Stress Health 2023. [PMID: 38146789 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
People experiencing homelessness report increased exposure to traumatic life events and higher rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder as compared with the general population. Heart rate variability-biofeedback (HRV-BF) has been shown to decrease symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. However, HRV-BF has not been tested with the most vulnerable of populations, homeless adults. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to compare the effectiveness of an HRV-BF intervention versus a Health Promotion (HP) active control intervention focused on improving mental health symptoms among homeless adults. Guided by a community advisory board, homeless adults residing in Skid Row, Los Angeles (n = 40) were randomized to either the HRV-BF or an active HP control group and received eight weekly, 30-min sessions over two months, delivered by a nurse-led community health worker team. Dependent variables of HRV, mental health, anxiety, depression, and PTSD were measured at baseline, the 8-week session, and/or 2-month follow-up. All intervention sessions were completed by 90% (36/40) of participants. Both the HRV-BF and HP interventions showed significant increases in HRV from baseline to 2-month follow-up, with no significant difference between the intervention groups. The HRV-BF programme revealed a somewhat greater, although non-significant, improvement in anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms than the HP programme. The usefulness of both interventions, focused on emotional and physical health, warrants future studies to examine the value of a combined HRV-BF and HP intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline M Nyamathi
- Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Benissa E Salem
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Lillian Gelberg
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Dana Rose Garfin
- Community Health Sciences/Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kate Wolitsky-Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Sanghyuk S Shin
- Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Zhaoxia Yu
- Department of Statistics, School of Information and Computer Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | | | - Kartik Yadav
- Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Richard Clarke
- Office of Research, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Mitra Alikhani
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - Darlene Lee
- Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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