Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Volume 49, Issue 2, 2015, Pages 230-238

Social Integration Prospectively Predicts Changes in Heart Rate Variability Among Individuals Undergoing Migration Stress (Article)

Gouin J.-P.* , Zhou B. , Fitzpatrick S.
  • a Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, PY 170-14, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada, Center for Clinical Research in Health, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada
  • b Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, PY 170-14, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada, Center for Clinical Research in Health, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada
  • c Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States

Abstract

Background: Poor social integration increases risk for poor health. The psychobiological pathways underlying this effect are not well-understood. Purpose: This study utilized a migration stress model to prospectively investigate the impact of social integration on change in high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a marker of autonomic functioning. Methods: Sixty new international students were recruited shortly after their arrival in the host country and assessed 2 and 5 months later. At each assessment period, participants provided information on social integration and loneliness and had their resting HF-HRV evaluated. Results: There was an overall decrease in HF-HRV over time. The magnitude of the within-person and between-person effects of social integration on HRV increased over time, such that greater social integration was associated with higher HF-HRV at later follow-ups. Conclusions: These results suggest that altered autonomic functioning might represent a key pathway linking social integration to health outcomes. © 2014, The Society of Behavioral Medicine.

Author Keywords

International students respiratory sinus arrhythmia loneliness social integration Heart rate variability Autonomic functioning

Index Keywords

autonomic nervous system Respiratory Rate Heart Rate physiology human social isolation Stress, Psychological mental stress Young Adult Humans migrant psychology male Emigrants and Immigrants female adult migration Emigration and Immigration breathing rate pathophysiology
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84924535803&doi=10.1007%2fs12160-014-9650-7&partnerID=40&md5=41046f2914463af542c4f99f607da519
DOI: 10.1007/s12160-014-9650-7
ISSN: 08836612
Cited by: 9
Original Language: English