TY - JOUR

T1 - The Validity of Daily Self-Assessed Perceived Stress Measured Using Smartphones in Healthy Individuals

T2 - Cohort Study

AU - Þórarinsdóttir, Helga

AU - Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria

AU - Ullum, Henrik

AU - Frost, Mads

AU - Bardram, Jakob E

AU - Kessing, Lars Vedel

N1 - ©Helga Þórarinsdóttir, Maria Faurholt-Jepsen, Henrik Ullum, Mads Frost, Jakob E Bardram, Lars Vedel Kessing. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 19.08.2019.

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - BACKGROUND: Smartphones may offer a new and easy tool to assess stress, but the validity has never been investigated.OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate (1) the validity of smartphone-based self-assessed stress compared with Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and (2) whether smartphone-based self-assessed stress correlates with neuroticism (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Neuroticism, EPQ-N), psychosocial functioning (Functioning Assessment Short Test, FAST), and prior stressful life events (Kendler Questionnaire for Stressful Life Events, SLE).METHODS: A cohort of 40 healthy blood donors with no history of personal or first-generation family history of psychiatric illness and who used an Android smartphone were instructed to self-assess their stress level daily (on a scale from 0 to 2; beta values reflect this scale) for 4 months. At baseline, participants were assessed with the FAST rater-blinded and filled out the EPQ, the PSS, and the SLE. The PSS assessment was repeated after 4 months.RESULTS: In linear mixed-effect regression and linear regression models, there were statistically significant positive correlations between self-assessed stress and the PSS (beta=.0167; 95% CI 0.0070-0.0026; P=.001), the EPQ-N (beta=.0174; 95% CI 0.0023-0.0325; P=.02), and the FAST (beta=.0329; 95% CI 0.0036-0.0622; P=.03). No correlation was found between smartphone-based self-assessed stress and the SLE.CONCLUSIONS: Daily smartphone-based self-assessed stress seems to be a valid measure of perceived stress. Our study contains a modest sample of 40 healthy participants and adds knowledge to a new but growing field of research. Smartphone-based self-assessed stress is a promising tool for measuring stress in real time in future studies of stress and stress-related behavior.

AB - BACKGROUND: Smartphones may offer a new and easy tool to assess stress, but the validity has never been investigated.OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate (1) the validity of smartphone-based self-assessed stress compared with Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and (2) whether smartphone-based self-assessed stress correlates with neuroticism (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Neuroticism, EPQ-N), psychosocial functioning (Functioning Assessment Short Test, FAST), and prior stressful life events (Kendler Questionnaire for Stressful Life Events, SLE).METHODS: A cohort of 40 healthy blood donors with no history of personal or first-generation family history of psychiatric illness and who used an Android smartphone were instructed to self-assess their stress level daily (on a scale from 0 to 2; beta values reflect this scale) for 4 months. At baseline, participants were assessed with the FAST rater-blinded and filled out the EPQ, the PSS, and the SLE. The PSS assessment was repeated after 4 months.RESULTS: In linear mixed-effect regression and linear regression models, there were statistically significant positive correlations between self-assessed stress and the PSS (beta=.0167; 95% CI 0.0070-0.0026; P=.001), the EPQ-N (beta=.0174; 95% CI 0.0023-0.0325; P=.02), and the FAST (beta=.0329; 95% CI 0.0036-0.0622; P=.03). No correlation was found between smartphone-based self-assessed stress and the SLE.CONCLUSIONS: Daily smartphone-based self-assessed stress seems to be a valid measure of perceived stress. Our study contains a modest sample of 40 healthy participants and adds knowledge to a new but growing field of research. Smartphone-based self-assessed stress is a promising tool for measuring stress in real time in future studies of stress and stress-related behavior.

U2 - 10.2196/13418

DO - 10.2196/13418

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31429413

VL - 7

JO - J M I R mHealth and uHealth

JF - J M I R mHealth and uHealth

SN - 2291-5222

IS - 8

M1 - e13418

ER -