Attenuated Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Psychological Stress Predicts Future Fatigue Symptoms in Truck Drivers

• Published in: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine Vol. 65; no. 3; p. 228
• Main Authors: Guest, Amber J, Clemes, Stacy A, King, James A, Chen, Yu-Ling, Ruettger, Katharina, Sayyah, Mohsen, Sherry, Aron, Varela-Mato, Veronica, Paine, Nicola J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic; Automobile Driving - psychology; Fatigue; Humans; Motor Vehicles; Stress, Psychological
• ISSN: 1536-5948
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002715

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a 6-month health intervention on truck drivers' cardiovascular reactivity to stress and whether cardiovascular reactivity was predictive of depression, anxiety, or fatigue symptoms at 6-month follow-up. Two hundred thirty-eight truck drivers completed a 6-month cluster randomized controlled trial to increase physical activity and completed a stress protocol (Stroop and mirror-tracing tasks) with measurements of heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure taken, alongside fatigue, anxiety, and depressive symptoms assessment. Measures were taken at 0 and 6 months. Analyses showed a negative relationship between 0-month diastolic blood pressure reactivity and 6-month persistent fatigue. Trends toward negative relationships between systolic blood pressure reactivity and future anxiety and fatigue symptoms at 6 months were evident. Our findings may have serious implications, as fatigue can be a major cause of road traffic collisions in truck drivers.