Analysis of Acute Stress Reactivity and Recovery in Autonomic Nervous System Considering Individual Characteristics of Stress Using HRV and EDA

Abstract

Stress is a complex factor that simultaneously triggers psychological and physiological changes in humans. However, research on the relationship between stress’s psychological and physiological aspects has been limited. This study examined the psychological and physiological aspects of stress in 56 police officers using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Participants performed the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST), and their physiological responses were monitored via wearable sensors measuring heart rate variability (HRV), electrocardiogram (ECG), and electrodermal activity (EDA). We grouped the participants into three groups based on the PSS and CD-RISC scores. We analyzed the differences in stress reactivity during stress situations and stress recovery following stress situations among the groups. Results showed that higher perceived stress (PSS) was linked to reduced stress reactivity, indicated by lower EDA parameters (SCR std and SCR amplitude) during stress. Conversely, higher resilience (CD-RISC) correlated with better stress recovery, indicated by improved HRV parameters (HR, pNN30, and pNN50) post-stress. These findings highlight how psychological factors influence physiological stress responses and may aid in developing personalized stress assessments.

Keywords

• Psychophysiological stress assessment
• stress reactivity
• stress recovery
• heart rate variability (HRV)
• electrodermal activity (EDA)
• autonomic nervous system (ANS)