Summary
Introduction. The negative health consequences of stress are undeniable but standardized stress assessment methods are still lacking. Researchers use variety of stress assessment techniques but there is still no specific indicator for psychological stress alone. Thus, the use of distinct stress evaluation methods could help to comprehensively assess complex manifestation of stress.
The aim of this study is to review various stress assessment methods (biochemical, physiological, psychological) and to evaluate their application in investigating the effectiveness of stress management algorithm.
Materials and methods. Study participants were 20 healthy volunteers (median age (IQR) 38 (15) years). Participants completed a questionnaire about their physical state, STAI-T, STAI-S, PSS and provided a hair sample. Subjects participated in respiratory biofeedback-assisted stress management session during which physiological parameters (HR, RMSSD, pNN50, GSR, BR) were measured.
Results. Similar changes in physiological parameters during stress management sessions were observed in subjects with lower hair cortisol levels (<3.17 ng/g) as in individuals with higher levels (>3.17 ng/g) (p>0.05). Scores of PSS, STAI-T and STAI-S questionnaires did not differ between different hair cortisol concentration groups (p>0.05).
Conclusions. Physiological changes during stress management program were not dependent on the hair cortisol concentration of the study sample. Estimates of subjective stress assessment methods were not higher in individuals with elevated hair cortisol concentration. Due to the lack of correlation between the different stress indicators, it is necessary to take into account factors that influence various stress measures.
