Toshikazu Shinba1,2,3,4,5,6, Keizo Murotsu1,2, Yosuke Usui2, Yoshinori Andow7, Hiroshi Terada8, Mami Takahashi8, Rie Takii8, Michiko Urita1, Satoshi Sakuragawa9, Miwa Mochizuki10, Nobutoshi Kariya3, Saori Matsuda3, Yusuke Obara3, Hanae Matsuda3, Yoshitaka Tatebayashi4, Yoshiki Matsuda4, Go Mugishima11, Takaki Nedachi5, Guanghao Sun12, Tomoko Inoue6, Takemi Matsui6. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Shizuoka Saiseikai General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Shizuoka Red Cross Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan. 3. Maynds Tower Mental Clinic, Tokyo, Japan. 4. Affective Disorders Research Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan. 5. Hakuju Institute for Health Science, Tokyo, Japan. 6. Graduate School of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Japan. 7. Yoga Mental Clinic, Tokyo, Japan. 8. Aoi Clinic, Shizuoka, Japan. 9. Industrial Research Institute of Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka, Japan. 10. Yonenomiya Clinic, Fuji, Japan. 11. Department of Psychology, School of Human and Social Sciences, Fukuoka Prefectural University, Fukuoka, Japan. 12. Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Japan.
Abstract
AIM: The present study aimed to examine whether heart rate variability (HRV) indices in depressed patients measured at return to work after sick leave are related to the outcome of reinstatement. METHODS: This study included 30 workers who took a leave of absence due to major depressive disorder. HRV was measured twice, once when participants left work and another when they returned to work. One month after returning to work, 19 participants continued their original work (successful return group), while 11 failed to perform their original work (unsuccessful return group). HRV indices including high- and low-frequency components (HF and LF) were calculated in three conditions within a session lasting for about 5 minutes, initial rest (Rest), mental task (Task), and rest after task (After), and were compared between the two participant groups. Psychological states were evaluated using Self-rating Depression Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the HRV indices on leaving work between groups. On returning to work, the "unsuccessful return group" exhibited lower HF Rest score, higher HF Task/Rest ratio, and higher LF/HF Rest score than the "successful return group." Psychological scores improved in both groups. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that autonomic dysregulations revealed by HRV measurement at return to work after a leave of absence in MDD patients were related to the outcome of reinstatement and can serve as useful information for the assessment of the risk of unsuccessful return.
AIM: The present study aimed to examine whether heart rate variability (HRV) indices in depressedpatients measured at return to work after sick leave are related to the outcome of reinstatement. METHODS: This study included 30 workers who took a leave of absence due to major depressive disorder. HRV was measured twice, once when participants left work and another when they returned to work. One month after returning to work, 19 participants continued their original work (successful return group), while 11 failed to perform their original work (unsuccessful return group). HRV indices including high- and low-frequency components (HF and LF) were calculated in three conditions within a session lasting for about 5 minutes, initial rest (Rest), mental task (Task), and rest after task (After), and were compared between the two participant groups. Psychological states were evaluated using Self-rating Depression Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the HRV indices on leaving work between groups. On returning to work, the "unsuccessful return group" exhibited lower HF Rest score, higher HF Task/Rest ratio, and higher LF/HF Rest score than the "successful return group." Psychological scores improved in both groups. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that autonomic dysregulations revealed by HRV measurement at return to work after a leave of absence in MDDpatients were related to the outcome of reinstatement and can serve as useful information for the assessment of the risk of unsuccessful return.