Borghesi Francesca, Simoncini Gloria, Cremascoli Riccardo, Bianchi Laura, Mendolicchio Leonardo, Cappelli Simone, Brusa Federico, Cattaldo Stefania, Prina Elisa, Chirico Alice, Mauro Alessandro, Cipresso Pietro
Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Unit of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, San Giuseppe Hospital Piancavallo, Verbania, Italy.
Front Psychiatry. 2025 Feb 25;16:1502217. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1502217. eCollection 2025.
Affect dynamics, or variations in emotional experiences over time, are linked to psychological health and well-being, with moderate emotional variations indicating good psychophysical health. Given the impact of emotional state on cardiac variability, our objective was to develop a quantitative method to measure affect dynamics for better understanding emotion temporal management in Anorexia Nervosa (AN).
The study proposed an experimental and methodological approach to evaluate physiological affect dynamics in clinical settings. It tested affective transitions and temporal changes using emotional images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), examining physiological characteristics of a patient with AN. The methodology involved calculating a heart rate variability index, e.g., RMSSD, and using it in a Discrete Time and Discrete Space Markov chain to define, quantify, and predict emotional fluctuations over time.
The patient with Anorexia Nervosa showed a high likelihood of transitioning from positive to negative emotional states, particularly at lower arousal levels. The steady state matrix indicated a tendency to remain in highly activated pleasant states, reflecting difficulties in maintaining emotional balance.
Employing Markov chains provided a quantitative and insightful approach for examining affect dynamics in a patient with AN. This methodology accurately measures emotional transitions and provides a clear and interpretable framework for clinicians and patients. By leveraging Markovian indexes, mental health professionals may gain a comprehensive understanding of emotional fluctuations' patterns. Moreover, graphical representations of emotional transitions may enhance the clinician-patient dialogue, facilitating a clearer emotional and physiological profile for the implementation of personalized treatment procedures.
情感动态变化，即情绪体验随时间的变化，与心理健康和幸福感相关，适度的情绪变化表明身心健康良好。鉴于情绪状态对心脏变异性的影响，我们的目标是开发一种定量方法来测量情感动态变化，以便更好地理解神经性厌食症（AN）中的情绪时间管理。
该研究提出了一种实验性和方法性的方法来评估临床环境中的生理情感动态变化。它使用国际情感图片系统（IAPS）中的情感图像测试情感转变和时间变化，检查一名神经性厌食症患者的生理特征。该方法包括计算心率变异性指数，例如RMSSD，并将其用于离散时间和离散空间马尔可夫链中，以定义、量化和预测随时间的情绪波动。
神经性厌食症患者从积极情绪状态转变为消极情绪状态的可能性很高，尤其是在较低的唤醒水平下。稳态矩阵表明倾向于保持在高度激活的愉悦状态，反映出难以维持情绪平衡。
采用马尔可夫链为检查神经性厌食症患者的情感动态变化提供了一种定量且有洞察力的方法。这种方法准确地测量情绪转变，并为临床医生和患者提供了一个清晰且可解释的框架。通过利用马尔可夫指数，心理健康专业人员可以全面了解情绪波动的模式。此外，情绪转变的图形表示可能会加强临床医生与患者之间的对话，有助于为实施个性化治疗程序提供更清晰的情绪和生理概况。
