Early life adversity blunts the subjective and physiological relaxation response in healthy adults

Early life adversity blunts the subjective and physiological relaxation response in healthy adults

While Early Live Adversity (ELA) is a known risk factor for mental and physical diseases, the investigation into the mechanisms behind this connection is ongoing. In the present study, we investigated whether ELA blunts the relaxation response in healthy adults. Using a within-subjects design, we em...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 27992 - 10
Main Authors: Gaertner, Raphaela J., Burkart, Manuel, Richter, Louisa, Schnell, Pius, Finkhäuser, Matthias, Klink, Elea S. C., Denk, Bernadette F., Meier, Maria, Bentele, Ulrike U., Wienhold, Stella, Kossmann, Katharina E., Pruessner, Jens C.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 14-11-2024
Nature Publishing Group
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Subjects:
631/477
692/499
Abuse
Children
Early life adversity
Emotional abuse
Emotions
Heart rate
Heart rate variability
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Paced breathing
Physiology
Questionnaires
Relaxation
Risk factors
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Virtual nature
Early life adversity
Relaxation
Paced breathing
Heart rate variability
Virtual nature
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Summary:While Early Live Adversity (ELA) is a known risk factor for mental and physical diseases, the investigation into the mechanisms behind this connection is ongoing. In the present study, we investigated whether ELA blunts the relaxation response in healthy adults. Using a within-subjects design, we employed a paced breathing exercise (four seconds inhale, six seconds exhale) and a 360° nature video as relaxation interventions while measuring physiological relaxation using heart rate variability and subjective relaxation using the Relaxation State Questionnaire. A total of 103 participants (63.11% female; age mean  = 22.73 ± 3.43 years) completed the Parental Bonding Instrument and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to assess ELA retrospectively. For subjective relaxation, a blunted relaxation reaction was associated with lower scores of paternal care and higher scores of paternal overprotection, physical abuse, physical neglect, and emotional abuse. For heart rate variability emotional abuse in interaction with nicotine consumption was related to a blunted relaxation response. This indicates that experiencing ELA negatively affects the relaxation capability in a healthy sample and emphasizes the importance of assessing relaxation at a physiological and subjective level.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-78340-3