Ho Ying Wai Bryan, Bressington Daniel, Tsang Mei Yi, Pang Hok Hoi, Li Yan, Wong Wai Kit
School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
College of Nursing and Midwifery, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, Australia.
Front Psychiatry. 2023 Mar 21;14:1119925. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1119925. eCollection 2023.
Hope can affect the thinking habits, emotional regulations, and behaviors of individuals. Hope is considered as a positive trait by clinicians, who often assess the level of hope in psychological evaluations. Previous measurements of hope were largely based on self-reported questionnaires leading to the problem of subjectivity. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a bio index that is an objective, quick, cost effective, and non-invasive measurement. HRV has been used in the evaluation of physical health and some psychiatric conditions. However, it has not been tested for its potential to be a bio-index of the level of hope.
This pilot cross-sectional observational study aimed to examine the relationships between HRV and the level of hope among adult Chinese people in Hong Kong. Convenience sampling was used and 97 healthy participants were recruited. Their level of hope was measured by the Dispositional Hope Scale-Chinese (DHS-C), and their HRV was quantified by emWave Pro Plus, a reliable sensor of HRV. Spearman's correlation coefficient analysis was performed on the HRV measurements and DHS-C.
The DHS-C's overall mean score was 45.49. The mean scores of the subscale DHS-C (Agency) was 22.46, and the mean scores of DHS-C (Pathway) was 23.03. It was also revealed that there were significant, weak, and negative correlations between the level of hope and four out of ten HRV metrics. One HRV metric was found to have a significant, weak, and positive correlation with the level of hope.
This study provided initial evidence to support the use of HRV as a bio-index of hope. Implications of the current study and recommendations for future research directions are discussed.
希望会影响个体的思维习惯、情绪调节和行为。临床医生将希望视为一种积极特质，他们常在心理评估中评估希望水平。以往对希望的测量主要基于自我报告问卷，存在主观性问题。心率变异性（HRV）是一种生物指标，具有客观、快速、经济高效且无创的特点。HRV已用于身体健康和一些精神疾病状况的评估。然而，尚未对其作为希望水平生物指标的潜力进行测试。
这项初步的横断面观察性研究旨在探讨香港成年中国人中HRV与希望水平之间的关系。采用便利抽样法，招募了97名健康参与者。使用中文版特质希望量表（DHS-C）测量他们的希望水平，并用可靠的HRV传感器emWave Pro Plus对其HRV进行量化。对HRV测量值和DHS-C进行斯皮尔曼相关系数分析。
DHS-C的总体平均分为45.49。DHS-C子量表（能动性）的平均分为22.46，DHS-C（途径）的平均分为23.03。研究还发现，希望水平与十分之四的HRV指标之间存在显著、微弱的负相关。发现一个HRV指标与希望水平存在显著、微弱的正相关。
本研究提供了初步证据支持将HRV用作希望的生物指标。讨论了当前研究的意义以及对未来研究方向的建议。
