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Influence of examination stress and psychoemotional characteristics on the blood pressure and heart rate regulation in female students

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Abstract

During the semester and immediately before an examination, changes in the heart rate variability, blood pressure, and state anxiety induced by examination stress, as well as the dependence of these changes on the probabilistic prediction and actual examination mark, were investigated. Before an examination, most students exhibited an increase in state anxiety, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate; the last of these is connected with an increase in the LF/HF ratio. The behavior of the cardiovascular system of the students (who were females) under psychoemotional stress varied considerably depending on how well they were prepared for the examination and on the subjective prediction of success. The importance of the type of heart rate regulation during the semester for the progress of examination stress was established.

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Original Russian Text © D.A. Dimitriev, A.D. Dimitriev, Yu.D. Karpenko, E.V. Saperova, 2008, published in Fiziologiya Cheloveka, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 89–96.

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Dimitriev, D.A., Dimitriev, A.D., Karpenko, Y.D. et al. Influence of examination stress and psychoemotional characteristics on the blood pressure and heart rate regulation in female students. Hum Physiol 34, 617–624 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119708050101

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