Anxiety in the Digital Age: Can Wearable Tech and Telehealth Bridge the Gap for Young Adults?
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health challenges worldwide, but for young adults in the United States, the numbers are staggering. According to federal data analyzed by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), half (50%) of adults aged 18-34 experienced symptoms of anxiety in 2023 (Lee, 2023).
This is a crisis. And while traditional talk therapy is effective, many young adults struggle to access timely, affordable care.
This reality has driven my latest research interest: Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRV-BF). Specifically, I want to know if we can deliver this powerful physiological intervention remotely, using the technology that young adults are already wearing on their wrists.
What is HRV Biofeedback?
To understand the intervention, we first have to understand the metric. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is often confused with heart rate, but they are different.
Heart Rate measures the number of beats per minute.
HRV measures the variation in time (milliseconds) between each heartbeat.
High variability is actually a good thing. It indicates a "coherent rhythm" a flexible, relaxed nervous system that can bounce back from stress. Low variability often signals that the body is stuck in "fight-or-flight."
HRV Biofeedback is a technique that teaches individuals to control their breathing and heart rhythms to increase parasympathetic activity (Dormal et al., 2021). Essentially, you watch your biological data in real-time and use breathing exercises to calm your own nervous system.
The Research Gap: Moving from the Clinic to the Cloud
We know HRV biofeedback works in clinics. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health landscape has shifted to telehealth.
My proposed study asks a critical question: “How effective is heart rate variability biofeedback in reducing anxiety symptoms among young adults when delivered via telehealth?”
This demographic (18-34) is naturally tech-savvy. They are comfortable engaging with digital health platforms and often prefer skills-focused interventions over open-ended talk therapy. By pairing telehealth sessions with wearable devices that track HRV, we might be able to create a therapy model that is both accessible and engaging.
A Mixed-Methods Approach
To study this, I am proposing a mixed-methods longitudinal design. I believe we need both the hard data and the human story to understand if this works.
The Quantitative (The Numbers): I plan to track weekly anxiety scores using the GAD-7 scale and collect daily HRV metrics from participants’ wearable devices. This gives us objective evidence of physiological change.
The Qualitative (The Stories): I will also collect journals and conduct interviews. I want to know: Is the technology annoying? Do they feel supported by a remote therapist? Does the anxiety reduction last?
Why This Matters
Most current research on biofeedback is conducted in-person. By moving this intervention into the virtual space, we have the potential to drastically expand access to care.
If we can prove that remote biofeedback is effective, we can give young adults a tangible tool to manage their anxiety, one that fits right into their digital lives, without requiring them to drive to a clinic. It is about aligning modern interventions with technological advancements to meet clients where they are.
References
Dormal, V., Vermeulen, N., & Mejias, S. (2021). Is heart rate variability biofeedback useful in children and adolescents? A systematic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Lee, C. (2023). Latest federal data show that young people are more likely than older adults to be experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression. KFF.
Sugarman, D. E., et al. (2021). Clinicians’ perceptions of rapid scale-up of telehealth services in outpatient mental health treatment. Telemedicine Journal and E-Health.
