A Correlative Study Of Psychological Characteristic,Autonomic Nervous Function And Heart Rate Variability In Anxiety Neurosis

Objective:This study attempted to explore some factors,such as sex,age and diurnal rhythm had influence on autonomic nervous function by spectrum analysis of heart rate variability and evaluation of psychological questionnaires in anxiety neurosis;to explore the correlative mechanism of psychophysiological reaction between psychosocial factors and autonomic nervous function in anxiety neurosis;to compare the difference of psychophysiological changes among anxiety disorder,depressive disorder and comorbid anxiety and depression;to analyze that personality characteristics,emotional factors influenced on autonomic nervous function in the patients with coronary heart disease.Methods:80 patients of anxiety disorder,including 59 patients of generalized anxiety disorder(GAD) and 21 patients of panic disorder(PD);230 normal controls,including 60 patients of depressive disorder,45 patients of comorbid anxiety and depression,45 patients with coronary heart disease and 80 healthy volunteers.All these subjects completed the following questionnaires:general condition questionnaires,case history questionnaires,STAI,TABP,CSQ,EPQ,HAMA and HAMD.By spectrum analysis of heart rate variability(HRV),there were many parameters,including average heart rate,SDNN,SDANN,RMSSD,PNN50,LF,HF,LF/HF and VLF. Utilize t test,u test,X2 test,Pearson correlation analysis,ANOV to statistic the collected data in SPASS 12.0.Results:(1)Every indexs of HRV were reduced,especially that LF/HF,RMSSD,PNN50 were significantly lower than normal controls;(2)Both of the patients of GAD and PD had autonomic nervous functional disorder,the patients of PD were significantly lower than the patients of GAD in RMSSD,PNN50,HF;(3)The female patients of anxiety disorder were more significant than the male patients in autonomic nervous functional disorder;(4)There was not diurnal variation in autonomic nervous function of anxiety disorder;during the period of nighttime,sympathetic nervous function was very higher,which could lead to sleep disorder and was physiology mechanism of severe vascular incidence;(5)The autonomic nervous functional disorder of the senile patients was more significant than the younger patients;(6)Trait anxiety,which most of the patients of anxiety disorder had,was liability of autonomic nervous functional disorder in anxiety disorder;(7)The patients of anxiety disorder generally had the feature of type A behavior,which was significantly correlative with autonomic nervous functional disorder; the patients of type A behavior in anxiety disorder were more significant in autonomic nervous functional disorder,which established psychophysiological foundation on the development of coronary heart disease;(8)The patients of anxiety disorder generally had higher neuroticism,psychoticism and lower extraversion,were ready to adopt negative coping styles, which established psychological foundation of autonomic nervous functional disorder;(9)The patients of comorbid anxiety and depression were significant in autonomic nervous functional disorder and had the features of more somatization and worse prognosis.Cnclusions:The autonomic nervous function was disordered, parasympathetic nervous function was lower and sympathetic nervous function was relatively higher,the function between sympathetic nervous and parasympathetic nervous were overbalanced.The factors,such as sex,age and diurnal rhythm,were effective on the autonomic nervous function of anxiety disorder.The significant correlation between anxiety traits,personality characteristic,type A behavior,coping style and HRV was psychophysiological mechanism of anxiety disorder.The autonomic nervous functional disorder of the patients with comorbid anxiety and depression was significant. The autonomic nervous functional disorder of the patients with coronary heart disease could be mediator in psychophysiological mechanism,which had influence on occurrence,development,prognosis and rehabilitation.