An approach to an acute emotional stress reference scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Biochemistry
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Clinical diagnosis requires assessing psycho-physical state for therapeutic guidance.
• Quantifying emotional stress is challenging due to the lack of standardized measurement tools.
• Existing stress measurements like psychometric tests and biochemical variables offer complementary insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define and validate a standard reference for measuring acute emotional stress.
• To establish a quantitative assessment of emotional stress levels.
• To utilize identified indicators to gauge the degree of stress affectation.

Main Methods:

• A weighted mean of psychometric tests and biochemical variables was calculated using principal component analysis.
• An experimental study involved 40 healthy young adults.
• The Trier Social Stress Test was employed to induce controlled psychosocial stress.

Main Results:

• The proposed standard reference scale demonstrated a clear differentiation between induced relaxation and stress states.
• The scale's consistency was assessed through primary evaluation.
• The Trier Social Stress Test successfully induced a moderate stress stimulus.

Conclusions:

• The developed standard effectively differentiates between relaxed and emotional stress states.
• The scale is robust, maintaining valid differentiation despite minor score variations.
• Further validation with new experimental data is acknowledged as a future step.