Date of Award

Summer 8-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology

Committee Director

Xiao Yang

Committee Member

Matt Henson

Committee Member

Hamid Okhravi

Abstract

Apathy, defined as a reduction in motivation and goal-directed behavior, is a multidimensional neuropsychiatric syndrome encompassing behavioral, executive, and emotional components. Although heart rate variability (HRV) has been linked to depression and executive functioning, its relationship with apathy remains unexplored. The present study examined associations between apathy subtypes, resting HRV, HR and HRV reactivity, and cognitive performance. A sample of 116 healthy young adults completed self-reported measures of apathy, depression, fatigue, reward sensitivity, and attentional control. Electrocardiography (ECG) was used to assess resting HRV, followed by continuous recording during cognitive tasks, which included the Digit Span Test and a verbal fluency task, the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT), and N-back (4 levels). Multiple regression models showed that executive and emotional apathy were significant predictors of lower baseline HF-HRV and reduced HR reactivity. Executive apathy predicted performance on MSIT accuracy, while behavioral apathy was associated with Digit Span backward performance. In contrast, HRV indices were not associated with cognitive performance and, further, did not account for relationships between apathy and cognitive performance. HRV may serve as a potential physiological marker of motivational dysfunction; however, further research is needed to clarify its role across clinical populations and functional outcomes. Implications for clinical populations and future studies are discussed in the context of current findings and limitations.

Comments

A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculties Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology through the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/hsyg-7s68

ISBN

9798193214397

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