Study Reveals Diverse Physiological Responses in Acute Stress: Implications for Mental Health Insurance

A study published in the April 2025 issue of BMC Psychiatry explores the individual variability in physiological responses to acute stress, focusing on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). Conducted with 78 healthy adult females, the research measured continuous HR and HRV during a 10-minute acute stress induction, analyzed in sequential 3.3-minute segments before, during, and after stress exposure.

Findings indicate an immediate increase in HR and a delayed decrease in HRV followed by a post-stress overshoot phase. Latent class modeling revealed distinct subgroups with varying physiological stress trajectories, including instances where HRV increased during stress in individuals exhibiting elevated anxiety.

This variability underscores the complexity of the physiological acute stress response and its potential association with psychological states. The study advocates a dynamic and individualized approach to understanding stress responses, recommending additional research to validate these findings and explore implications for stress-related mental health disorders.

These insights are relevant to healthcare professionals and mental health insurers focusing on stress-related conditions, supporting tailored interventions and compliance with evolving health risk assessments and policy underwriting.