Our goal was to investigate the heart rate variability differences among participants with different levels of self-criticism during exposure to self-critical, self-protective, and self-compassionate guided imagery. Convenience sample of 89 psychology students was collected with the provision of course credits. The participants underwent measurement of heart rate variability during the guided imagery and completed the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale to size their level of self-criticism. There were significant heart rate variability differences among participants with low and high levels of self-criticism in all relaxation baseline and three parts of the imagery. High self-critical participants were more distressed during the whole imagery compared to participants with low level of self-criticism. In addition, there was overall significant difference between all three imageries. Not surprisingly, the highest heart rate variability was found during the imagery self-compassionate part as we had expected. The level of self-criticism plays important role in the adjustment of physiological responses to distress. The findings brought a little light into possible diagnostics of high and low self-critical people on the basis of physiological measures without relying only on self-rating scales in future.

中文翻译：

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接受引导图像期间具有不同自我批评水平的参与者之间的心率变异性差异

我们的目标是调查在暴露于自我批评，自我保护和自我同情的引导图像期间，具有不同水平的自我批评的参与者之间的心率变异性差异。在提供课程学分的基础上，收集了89名心理学学生的便利样本。参与者在引导的图像中进行了心率变异性的测量，并完成了自我批评/攻击和自我保证量表的形式，以衡量他们的自我批评水平。在所有放松基线和图像的三个部分中，具有低水平和高水平自我批评的参与者之间存在显着的心率变异性差异。与自我批评水平较低的参与者相比，自我批评程度高的参与者在整个图像中更加沮丧。此外，这三个图像之间总体上存在显着差异。毫不奇怪，正如我们所预期的，在图像自我同情部分中发现了最高的心率变异性。自我批评的水平在调节对遇险的生理反应中起重要作用。这些发现为将来根据生理指标对高和低自我批评者的诊断提供了一些启示，而将来不再仅仅依靠自我评估量表。