Assessing Stress Level Scores Against Wearables-Driven Physiological Measurements.

Area of Science:

• Psychophysiology and Wearable Technology
• Human Stress Response and Health Monitoring

Background:

• Accurate assessment of psychological stress in naturalistic settings is difficult.
• Wrist-worn devices like the Garmin Vivosmart 4 offer potential for remote stress data collection.
• The Garmin stress score (GSS), based on heart rate variability (HRV), requires validation for research use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To predict self-reported psychological stress using physiological data and the Garmin stress score.
• To validate the Garmin Vivosmart 4 stress score against electrocardiogram (ECG) derived heart rate (HR) and HRV.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study followed by a main study with 60 participants.
• Simultaneous data collection from Garmin Vivosmart 4 and Polar H10 chest strap during rest and mental stress tasks.
• Analysis of Garmin stress score, HR, and HRV metrics (SD2/SD1, RMSSD, HF power) against self-reported stress.

Main Results:

• Garmin stress score, mean HR, SD2/SD1, and HF power differed significantly between stress and rest conditions.
• Garmin stress score correlated significantly with HR, RMSSD, and SD2/SD1.
• Heart rate showed the strongest association with self-reported stress; Garmin stress score had marginal predictive value.

Conclusions:

• The Garmin stress score and heart rate are indicative of mental stress.
• Physiological stress responses may be influenced by sex and tonic HRV.
• The accessible and noninvasive nature of Garmin devices supports their potential in diverse research applications.