Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Australia, affecting one in six people during their lifetime. It has been proposed that affective disorders such as depression, and mood disorders, such as anxiety, may have a considerable effect on cardiovascular aetiology. Numerous studies have suggested that anxiety increases peripheral blood pressure, while blood pressure alterations due to depression have yielded conflicting results. Alternatively, there is a growing amount of evidence linking the cardiac autonomic nervous system in cardiovascular impairment. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a quantitative measure that can be used to assess these autonomic imbalances of the heart. The aim of this research is to assess anxiety and affective state associations with blood pressure and HRV. The study had UTS Human Research Ethics approval. Anxiety and mood states were assessed using reliable psychometric tools. 47 subjects aged 20-45 years were recruited for the study from the local community. After a series of exclusion criteria to eliminate potential variances, electrocardiogram (used to derive HRV parameters) was recorded for both a baseline phase (during quiet sitting) and an active phase (during a mental stress test). BP was recorded before and after the study.

Systolic blood pressure decreased during the course of the examination. Higher baseline low frequency (LF) HRV was associated with lower levels of anxiety (p<0.05). While, both stress and fatigue showed positive correlations with higher anxiety and depression (<0.05), suggesting these factors may help explain the contributing factors to cardiovascular risks. Additionally, results showed that mood states such as anger-hostility and vigor-activity may also impact on cardiovascular aetiology.  This study has the potential to inform the varying effects of anxiety and depression on cardiovascular function.