Examination of electrodermal and cardio-vascular reactivity in virtual reality through a combined stress induction protocol

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Population: Healthy subjects (n=16). Intervention: Virtual reality stress induction (Social and Stroop tasks) vs. Relaxing virtual park environment. Primary outcome: Physiological reactivity (electrodermal activity and heart rate variability) (p=<0.001).

Bojan Kerouš; Richard Barteček; Róbert Román; Petr Sojka; Ondřej Bečev; Fotis Liarokapis

doi:10.1007/s12652-020-01858-7

March 9, 2020Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized ComputingOpen Access

Examination of electrodermal and cardio-vascular reactivity in virtual reality through a combined stress induction protocol

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Key result

A combined virtual reality stress induction protocol utilizing social and task stressors significantly increased electrodermal activity, whereas heart rate and RMSSD showed greater reactivity to task-stress alone.

Why the study?

The study aimed to identify the optimal combination of social and task-related stress to consistently and reliably induce a stressful reaction.

Structured PICO

P

Population

16 healthy subjects participated in an experimental study evaluating physiological reactivity to virtual reality stress induction protocols.

I

Intervention

Virtual reality stress induction using a combination of social stressors and the Stroop task

C

Comparator

Virtual reality park scene (relaxation/baseline) and individual stressors (social only or Stroop only)

O

Outcome

Physiological reactivity measured by electrodermal activity (CDA nSCR, CDA Tonic), mean heart rate (HR), and Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (RMSSD)surrogate

Main Result

p-value: p=<0.001

A combined virtual reality stress induction protocol using social and task-related stressors effectively elicits measurable electrodermal and cardiovascular responses in healthy subjects.

Limitations

The initial park scene was not a neutral condition but a passive environment promoting relaxation.
Possibility of technological breakdowns such as loss of hand tracking or episodic drops in frame rate.
The use of healthy participants limits the generalizability of the results to patient populations.
Lack of full avatar representation (only virtual hands were visualized) could have affected immersion.
Initial park scene was not a neutral condition but a passive environment
Possibility of technological breakdowns such as loss of hand tracking
Use of healthy participants limits generalizability to patient populations

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Implication

Validates VR stressor protocols for autonomic measurement in healthy subjects; leaves open clinical translation and patient applications.

Abstract

In this study, task-related stress induction through Stroop task and social stress induction protocol based on elements of Trier Social Stress Test are examined. The aim of the paper is to find the optimal combination of social and task-related stress to be used to consistently and reliably induce a stressful reaction. In total 16 healthy subjects participated in this study that seeks to find and compare the different stressors and their relation to physiological reactivity. Our findings show that electrodermal activity measurements are suitable when using a combination of stressors while heart rate and Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences highlight a greater reactivity to task-stress.

Discussion

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Cite This Study

Kerouš et al. (2020) studied Healthy subjects (n=16). Virtual reality stress induction (Social and Stroop tasks) vs. Relaxing virtual park environment was evaluated on Physiological reactivity (electrodermal activity and heart rate variability) (p=<0.001). A combined virtual reality stress induction protocol utilizing social and task stressors significantly increased electrodermal activity, whereas heart rate and RMSSD showed greater reactivity to task-stress alone.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a1fff1ad40b4a263065a722 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-020-01858-7

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Examination of electrodermal and cardio-vascular reactivity in virtual reality through a combined stress induction protocol

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Examination of electrodermal and cardio-vascular reactivity in virtual reality through a combined stress induction protocol

Structured PICO

Main Result

Limitations

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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