Longitudinal Profiles of Heart Rate Variability in First-Year College Students Using Wearables

As the mental health of college students continues to worsen, identifying students who need additional support and timely, targeted intervention is vital for college campuses. Leveraging Oura rings, a validated consumer wearable, we identify and examine heart rate variability (HRV) trajectories in 233 first-semester college students to characterize patterns of physiological well-being. The dominant trajectory among students was a decline in HRV (43.25%), followed by students who fluctuated but ultimately improved their HRV (24.46%), and students who remained consistent around their baseline, but experienced low points at the end of October and the end of the semester (19.3%). The least common HRV trajectory was a continuous improvement across the semester (12.9%). Findings suggest strong associations between HRV trajectories and experiential backgrounds, including first-generation status and total reported adverse life experiences, as well as weekly self-reported stress levels, highlighting the potential of wearables for providing real-time insight that could enable targeted intervention for student well-being.