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Objective detection of chronic stress using physiological parameters

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to design a system to diagnose chronic stress, based on blunted reactivity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to cognitive load (CL). The system concurrently measures CL-induced variations in pupil diameter (PD), heart rate (HR), pulse wave amplitude (PWA), galvanic skin response (GSR), and breathing rate (BR). Measurements were recorded from 58 volunteers whose stress level was identified using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Number-multiplication questions were used as CLs. HR, PWA, GSR, and PD were significantly (p < 0.05) changed during CL. CL-induced changes in PWA (16.87 ± 21.39), GSR (− 13.71 ± 7.86), and PD (11.56 ± 9.85) for non-stressed subjects (n = 36) were significantly different (p < 0.05) from those in PWA (2.92 ± 12.89), GSR (− 6.87 ± 9.54), and PD (4.51 ± 10.94) for stressed subjects (n = 22). ROC analysis for PWA, GSR, and PD illustrated their usefulness to identify stressed subjects. By inputting all features to different classification algorithms, up to 91.7% of sensitivity and 89.7% of accuracy to identify stressed subjects were achieved using 10-fold cross-validation. This study was the first to document blunted CL-induced changes in PWA, GSR, and PD in stressed subjects, compared to those in non-stressed subjects. Preliminary results demonstrated the ability of our system to objectively detect chronic stress with good accuracy, suggesting the potential for monitoring stress to prevent dangerous stress-related diseases.

Chronic stress degrads the autonomic nervous system reaction to cognitive loads. Measurement of reduced changes in physiological signals during asking math questions was useful to identify people with high STAI score (stressed subjects)

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Abbreviations

ANS:

Autonomic nervous system

BR:

Breathing rate

CL:

Cognitive load

ECG:

Electrocardiogram

EMG:

Electromyogram

GSR:

Galvanic skin response

HR:

Heart rate

HRV:

Heart rate variability

PD:

Pupil diameter

PPG:

Photoplethysmography

PWA:

Pulse wave amplitude

SNS:

Sympathetic nervous system

STAI:

State Trait Anxiety Inventory

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Research Deanship in Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan. The authors would like to thank Eng. Shaima Emour (Biomedical Engineering Department, Yarmouk University, Jordan) and Engs Rania Nizami and Ghadeer Smadi (Biomedical Engineering Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan) for their technical support.

Funding

This study was funded by the Research Deanship in Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    Rabah M. Al abdi, Enas W. Abdul Hay & Areen K. Al-bashir

  2. Al-Amal Arabia Specialized Hospital, Al-Hudaydah, Yemen

    Ahmad E. Alhitary

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  1. Rabah M. Al abdi
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  2. Ahmad E. Alhitary
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Correspondence to Rabah M. Al abdi.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

Human studies were conducted in Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and were approved by the institutional review board. The measurements were performed on healthy volunteers non-invasively and without any risk to the participants. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Al abdi, R.M., Alhitary, A.E., Abdul Hay, E.W. et al. Objective detection of chronic stress using physiological parameters. Med Biol Eng Comput 56, 2273–2286 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-018-1854-8

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