Tonic and phasic heart rate as predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between acute measures of a) heart rate (HR) immediately after traumatic injury, b) tonic (resting) HR at 1 week post injury, c) phasic (aroused) HR at 1 week post injury, and d) somatic symptoms of arousal in the prediction of subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fear conditioning models propose that HR reactivity shortly after trauma may predict PTSD. METHOD: In a longitudinal study, consecutive injury survivors (n = 197) admitted to a hospital trauma service were assessed within 1 week and at 12 months post injury. HR was assessed by paramedics at the site of the trauma and pulse oximetry technology at 1 week post trauma. Somatic symptoms..