Project ES3: attempting to quantify and measure the level of stress.
BACKGROUND
The WHO has qualified stress as a 'world epidemic' due to its increasingly greater incidence on health. The work described in this paper represents an attempt to objectively quantify the level of stress.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the method developed here is to measure how close or how far a subject is from a situation that can be considered 'normal' in medical and social terms.


METHODS
The literature on the pathophysiology of stress and its methods of study in experiments on both animals and humans was reviewed. Nine prospective observational studies were undertaken with different types of subjects and stressors covering the different types of stress.


RESULTS
The results of the literature review made it possible to identify the different types of stress, the indicators that yield significant results, the psychometric tests and the well-documented 'stressors'. This material was then used to design the general method and the details of the nine clinical trials. The preliminary results obtained in some of the studies were used to validate the indicators as well as the efficacy of the techniques used experimentally to diminish stress or to produce it.


CONCLUSIONS
The early results obtained in the experimental trials show that we are on the right path towards defining and validating multivariable markers for quantifying levels of stress and also suggest that the method can be applied in a similar way to the study of mental disorders.
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Espana.
Jordi
J
Aguiló
Pau
P
Ferrer-Salvans
Antonio
A
García-Rozo
Antonio
A
Armario
Ángel
Á
Corbí
Francisco J
FJ
Cambra
Raquel
R
Bailón
Ana
A
González-Marcos
Gerardo
G
Caja
Sira
S
Aguiló
Raúl
R
López-Antón
Adriana
A
Arza-Valdés
Jorge M
JM
Garzón-Rey
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology
D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D006854:Hydrocortisone