AXIOMATIC DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS INDICES USING THERMODYNAMICS

The present study involves development of an original quantitative methodology based on the principles of thermodynamics to define and measure human stress responses. The methodology combines five physiological measures (blood pressure, heart rate, finger skin temperature, facial electromyogram, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARPN journal of engineering and applied sciences 2012-06, Vol.7 (6), p.655-665
Main Authors: Boregowda, Satish C, Handy, Rodney, Palsson, Olafur S, Boregowda, Carol A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Females
Heart rate
Human behavior
Males
Methodology
Stresses
Surveys
Thermodynamics
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Summary:The present study involves development of an original quantitative methodology based on the principles of thermodynamics to define and measure human stress responses. The methodology combines five physiological measures (blood pressure, heart rate, finger skin temperature, facial electromyogram, and skin conductance level) to develop an Objective Stress Index (OSI). The study included forty-nine medical residents (28 males and 21 females). The physiological measures were taken under three conditions during the psycho physiological test profile. The Stress-Related Physical Symptoms Inventory (SPSI) questionnaire was administered during the course of the psycho physiological procedure. The Subjective Stress Index (SSI), a ratio of the severity of stress symptoms to the number of stress symptoms, was derived from the SPSI questionnaire. Without making any assumption about the distribution of the data, a nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was performed on the OSI and SSI data. The OSI results indicate that there was a significant difference in male and female stress responses. It is concluded that OSI in combination with the SSI will provide a quantitative framework for biomedical engineering researchers and practitioners to develop standards for measurement and evaluation of human stress responses.
ISSN:1819-6608
1819-6608