Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: CAROLINE SOUSA TRUTA RAMALHO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : CAROLINE SOUSA TRUTA RAMALHO
DATE: 06/11/2025
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Remoto
TITLE:

CORRELATION BETWEEN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND SLEEP AS A
PREDICTOR OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

 

KEY WORDS:

aging; mental health; heart rate variability; sleep; polypharmacy; wearable devices.

PAGES: 64
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional
SUMMARY:

Introduction:
Global population aging poses significant public health challenges, especially
regarding the mental health and psychological well-being of older adults.
Objective:
To investigate the associations between objective physiological parameters,
specifically heart rate variability (HRV) and sleep patterns measured by
wearable devices, and mental health outcomes in older adults.
Methods:
This is a cross-sectional study of 122 community-dwelling older adults
recruited from two cities in Northeastern Brazil. Standardized instruments
were used to assess mental health symptoms, sleep quality, and clinical
variables. Participants wore smartwatches for seven consecutive days to
monitor HRV and sleep parameters.
Results:
A high prevalence of stress (72.3%) and depressive symptoms (49.6%) was
observed, and a lower prevalence of anxiety symptoms (31.9%). Depressive
symptoms were significantly associated with polypharmacy, daytime
sleepiness, poor sleep quality, and lower mean and maximum heart rates.
Logistic regression analysis indicated that polypharmacy, daytime sleepiness,
low maximum heart rate, and poor sleep quality were independent predictors
of depressive symptoms. Female gender and increased nighttime
wakefulness were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. For stress,
only the triangular HRV index showed a significant association.
Conclusion:
Wearable devices demonstrate potential for screening for symptoms of
depression and stress in older adults, associated with polypharmacy, daytime
sleepiness, sleep quality, and heart rate. Women were at higher risk for
anxiety symptoms. Further validation of heart rate variability metrics is needed
for clinical application.

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1460020 - ALVARO CAMPOS CAVALCANTI MACIEL
Externa à Instituição - ANA TEREZA DO NASCIMENTO SALES FIGUEIREDO FERNANDES
Interno - 350637 - RICARDO OLIVEIRA GUERRA