Heart rate variability is associated with the level of poverty in adolescents in Nigeria

Egbuniwe, I., Van Reekum, C. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1516-1101 and Sakaki, M. (2025) Heart rate variability is associated with the level of poverty in adolescents in Nigeria. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 214. 113201. ISSN 1872-7697 doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113201

Abstract/Summary

Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) at rest has been associated with negative emotions not only in adults but also in adolescents. Given that poverty can be a significant source of stress and negative emotional states, family socioeconomic backgrounds may be associated with adolescents' HRV, negative mood, as well as perceived stress. However, the currently available evidence heavily relies on findings based on the so-called “Minority World,” including western and developed countries. To address the significance of HRV and socioeconomic status in adolescents in the Majority world, in the present study, we assessed resting-state HRV, socioeconomic status, and depression in adolescents from Nigeria. We also assessed their mood and perceived stress for four consecutive days. The results indicated that socioeconomic backgrounds were not significantly associated with self-report measures on mood, perceived stress, and depression. However, we found that lower levels of socioeconomic background are associated with lower levels of resting-state HRV. These results suggest that HRV is sensitive to poverty-related stress in previously under-investigated samples—adolescents in Nigeria.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/123401
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2025.113201
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Development Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Neuroscience Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Psychopathology and Affective Neuroscience
Publisher	Elsevier
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