Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been recognised as the primary cause of premature death worldwide. Another concerning health condition is the common affective disorder depression, which has been identified as the fourth leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Truck drivers may find themselves as both a CVD and depression-vulnerable population. This hypothesis can be attributed to various occupational lifestyle factors, such as erratic rest and work cycles, reduced option of healthy food choices and high workplace stress. Results regarding the effects of depression on the cardiovascular system have yielded varying results. This study aims to assess the associations between depression and heart rate variability (HRV) in truck and train drivers of Australia in order to elucidate potential associations between depression and impaired cardiovascular function.

Methods: Truck drivers were recruited from the local community. Electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were obtained during an active driving simulator task and a baseline-resting period. HRV low and high frequency parameters (generally sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, respectively) (cardiovascular autonomic activity) were obtained from the ECG data. Subjects completed a number of questionnaires, including the Lifestyle Appraisal Questionnaire, the Beck’s Depression Inventory, the Beck’s Anxiety Inventory-II and the Profile of Mood States questionnaire. Blood pressure was recorded before and after the study.
Results: This honours research from 2012 found a number of correlations. Numerous mood states (anger-aggression, total mood disturbance score) were positively correlated to an increase in sympathetic activity (p<0.05). Diastolic blood pressure was also found to positively correlate to a number of mood states, the most significant of which was depression-dejection (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Depression and other negative mood states can have detrimental effects on cardiovascular integrity and blood pressure. As such, this study will be further advanced by investigating these associations in both truck and train drivers.