Impacts of tourism on anxiety and physiological stress levels in wild male Barbary macaques

2011 ◽  
Vol 144 (9) ◽  
pp. 2188-2193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laëtitia Maréchal ◽  
Stuart Semple ◽  
Bonaventura Majolo ◽  
Mohamed Qarro ◽  
Michael Heistermann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Barbary Macaques ◽  
Wild Male ◽  
Stress Levels

scholarly journals Grooming in Barbary macaques: better to give than to receive?

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Shutt ◽  
Ann MacLarnon ◽  
Michael Heistermann ◽  
Stuart Semple
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Lower Stress ◽  
Macaca Sylvanus ◽  
Barbary Macaques ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Grooming Behaviour

It is well established that grooming underpins sociality in group-living primates, and a number of studies have documented the stress-reducing effects of being groomed. In this study, we quantified grooming behaviour and physiological stress (assessed by faecal glucocorticoid analysis) in free-ranging Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus . Our results indicate that it is the giving rather than the receiving of grooming that is associated with lower stress levels. These findings shed important new light on the benefits of this key behaviour in primate social life.

scholarly journals Physiological stress levels predict survival probabilities in wild rabbits

2007 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Cabezas ◽  
Julio Blas ◽  
Tracy A. Marchant ◽  
Sacramento Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Survival Probabilities ◽  
Stress Levels

scholarly journals Mobile Based Quantitative Measure of Stress (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
OREN Fuerst ◽  
Einat Yehene ◽  
Alexandre Domingues ◽  
Teresa Paiva
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Cortisol Level ◽  
Stress Level ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Induce Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress Response ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Stress Estimation

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to show the validity of a mobile based application (“Serenita”) , as a tool for measuring stress level quantitatively. In this interactive app, the user places his finger on the mobile`s camera lens, through which information related to the user’s blood flow, heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV) is extracted. Physiological signals are then being filtered and processed through a certain machine- algorithm, resulting in a quantitative estimation of the user’s stress level. Method: a mixed sex group of 50 volunteers were recruited to participate in a standardized laboratory experiment, where a psychosocial stress protocol (Trier Social Stress Test-TSST) was implemented. Throughout the course of the experiment, physiological stress response was measured using both salivary cortisol level and Serenita app, hence, using a within subject design. Results: Serenita algorithm was able to effectively detect changes in the participant`s estimated stress level, as expected by the different experimental conditions and followed the robust physiological response pattern usually obtained by the TSST protocol. In addition, a cross correlation of .93 was obtained between the estimated stress level, using Serenita`s algorithm, and Cortisol level measures. Conclusions: these results serve a double validation for Serenita as an effective tool to quantitatively measure physiological stress response. This innovative technique bears important implications for the field of stress research and treatment, providing to the best of our knowledge the first clinically validated non-lab based quantitative physiological stress measurement tool. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to show the validity of a mobile based application (“Serenita”) , as a tool for measuring stress level quantitatively. METHODS The current study was designed to validate and fine-tune the algorithms supporting the stress estimation function in this mobile application, under a clinical setting. In order to validate Serenita as an adequate stress estimator it was necessary to build a standardized experimental protocol able to i) effectively induce stress on a set of volunteers, ii) and properly quantify the stress variation. To this end, we adopted the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST -Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993) as this well documented laboratory procedure, was shown to reliably induce stress in human research participants and used extensively in the field of stress studies (e.g., Kudielka, Hellhammer, Kirschbaum, Harmon-Jones, & Winkielman, 2007; Allen, Kennedy, Cryan, Dinan, & Clarke, 2014). The efficiency of TSST as a stress inducer, was explored not only through properly calibrated questionnaires but also with the analysis of the Cortisol, as physiological stress indicator, which is extensively used in clinical setting to determine stress levels and the response to stressful events. Similarly, the current study followed the typical experimental protocol. However, its novelty lies in combining traditional as solid stress inducer (TSST) and indicator (saliva cortisol), with an innovative digital-health assessment tool (Serenita application). Utilizing both tools to measure physiological stress in the course of the experiment, will not only comply with our research goal of establishing reliability and validity, but also will neutralize any potential variability in stress response that might be stemming from sex differences (e.g., Kirschbaum, Klauer, Filipp, & Hellhammer, 1995; Kelly, Tyrka, Anderson, Price, & Carpenter, 2008). RESULTS Serenita algorithm was able to effectively detect changes in the participant`s estimated stress level, as expected by the different experimental conditions and followed the robust physiological response pattern usually obtained by the TSST protocol. In addition, a cross correlation of .93 was obtained between the estimated stress level, using Serenita`s algorithm, and Cortisol level measures. Conclusions: these results serve a double validation for Serenita as an effective tool to quantitatively measure physiological stress response. This innovative technique bears important implications for the field of stress research and treatment, providing to the best of our knowledge the first clinically validated non-lab based quantitative physiological stress measurement tool. CONCLUSIONS The present study aimed at investigating if the stress estimation algorithm, used by the Serenita app, was able to accurately estimate variations on stress levels. The TSST widely established as the standard protocol for stress induction was used to induce stress on a controlled clinical environment. The estimated stress levels show a high agreement rate with the expected stress response of the TSST. Furthermore, the analysis of salivary cortisol levels provided an objective measure of the real variation on stress levels, the average cortisol curve has a correlation index of 0.93 with the estimated stress provided by Serenita’s stress algorithm, supporting the stress estimation algorithm as a feasible way to estimate stress. Finally, in many stress monitoring applications it is useful to know, not just the relative change in stress along the time, but also to obtain a quantitative value for the stress level at any given time. Due to the highly subject-dependent nature of the basal level of stress (and cortisol) this task is relatively complex, however using a priori information such as age, gender, health condition, among others, it is possible to project the stress function into a bounded quantitative stress scale e.g. 0 − 100%. As far as we know this is the first time where an application is providing a quantitative and validated method comparable to measuring stress with a lab test. This tool could serve as a research tool in stress studies.

scholarly journals Physiological Measurements of Stress Preceding Incidents of Challenging Behavior in People With Severe to Profound Intellectual Disabilities: Longitudinal Study Protocol of Single-Case Studies (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rianne Simons ◽  
Renske Koordeman ◽  
Peter de Looff ◽  
Roy Otten
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Challenging Behavior ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Recurrence Quantification ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Cross Recurrence Quantification

BACKGROUND Clients with severe to profound intellectual disabilities (SPID) and challenging behavior (CB) and the professional caregivers that support them are vulnerable to high stress levels, which negatively impact their well-being and the quality of care. CB is thought to result from an increase in the intensity and frequency of clients’ stress experiences. In turn, staff members experience stress in dealing with this behavior, and stressed staff members might behave in ways that increase clients’ stress levels, contributing to the origin and maintenance of CB. Research into these dyadic interactions between clients and staff is scarce for people with SPID, especially in real-life situations. The barriers of studying stress in this population include clients’ difficulties in communicating stress experiences and the lack of an objective continuous measure of stress. OBJECTIVE This paper presents a protocol for studying patterns of physiological stress in 15 client-caregiver dyads in the 30 minutes preceding incidents of CB compared to control periods without CB and the interplay between the stress levels of clients and professional caregivers. METHODS We will conduct 15 single-case studies to assess patterns of physiological stress in dyads of clients with SPID and professional caregivers prior to CB in several Dutch residential institutes. Client-caregiver dyads will wear the Empatica E4 wristband for 20 sessions of 3 to 8 hours without interruptions of daily routines while caregivers report clients’ CB. The physiological measures obtained will be electrodermal activity (microsiemens) and heart rate (beats per minute). A multilevel model with repeated measures at the incident level nested within the person level will be applied, employing separate models for electrodermal activity and heart rate to compare stress levels in the 30 minutes prior to incidents with control epochs. Covariates in the models include movement, temperature, and gender. In addition, cross-recurrence quantification analyses will be performed to study the synchronization between the stress levels of clients and professional caregivers. RESULTS The Ethics Committee of the Radboud University (NL-number: NL71683.091.19) approved the study on February 12, 2020. In total, 15 organizations have declared their commitment to participate in the study. The first result is expected in the spring of 2022. CONCLUSIONS Study results will demonstrate whether changes in patterns of electrodermal activity and heart rate are apparent in the 30 minutes preceding an incident of CB compared to baseline levels when the client does not engage in CB. The synchronization between caregivers’ and clients’ physiological stress levels will be explored with cross-recurrence quantification analyses. Insights into the physiological stress levels of clients and caregivers may contribute to a reduction of CB and an improvement of both clients’ and caregivers’ safety and well-being. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/24911

Physiological stress levels in the endemic and endangered Udzungwa red colobus vary with elevation

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Barelli ◽  
Francesco Rovero ◽  
Keith Hodges ◽  
Alessandro Araldi ◽  
Michael Heistermann
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Red Colobus ◽  
Stress Levels

scholarly journals Association between caloric intake and work-related stress among nurses in two district hospitals in Ghana

2020 ◽  
pp. 50-56
Author(s):  
Nagumsi Nuhu ◽  
Joana K Ainuson-Quampah Ainuson-Quampah ◽  
Charles A Brown
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
World Health ◽  
District Hospitals ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Cortisol Levels

Background: The nursing profession is generally perceived as tedious and stressful and has been shown to be associated with inappropriate caloric intake with its attending consequences of obesity and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Objective: This study examined caloric intake and stress levels among nurses.Methods: A cross sectional study design was used, and a total of 85 nurses were sampled from two district level hospitals. Physiological and psychological levels of stress were measured using Salivary Cortisol Enzyme Immunoassay and the Cooper’s life stress inventory questionnaire, respectively. Body mass index (BMI) using height and weight measurements and caloric intake (using food frequency questionnaire and the 24h recall of participants) were also determined. Stress levels were compared to caloric intakes using the Pearson’s correlation test. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists, Version 21. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Participants were mostly females(90.60%) with a mean age±[standard deviation (SD)]of 34.86 ± 6.27 yr.and majority of them (68.20%) were married. More than half (52.94%) of the nurses were in the World Health Organization classification of overweight, with a mean BMI (±SD)of 26.11 ± 2.96 kg/m2. Their mean caloric intake (±SD) off duty (2368.74 ± 259.67 kcal) was significantly higher (p˂ 0.001) compared to that on duty (1784.80 ± 402.84 kcal). When off duty compared to on duty, the nurses also recorded significantly higher (p< 0.001) mean physiological stress scores(±SD)(61.18 ± 7.42 vs 17.12 ± 7.15) and salivary cortisol levels(±SD)(11.79 ± 1.06 μg/μL vs 5.10 ± 1.02 μg/μL). Significant positive correlations were observed for total caloric intakes and salivary cortisol levels for the nurses, both on duty [r = 0.585; 95% confidence interval(CI),0.425-0.780;p<0.001]and off duty (r= 0.316;95% CI, 0.113-0.498;p<0.003).Conclusion:The nurses had high stress levels whiles on duty and this was associated with low caloric intakes. Excessive caloric intakes were observed during off duty periods and associated with relatively lower stress levels.

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