Analyzing physiological responses to quantify anxiety disorders: A scoping review

Abstract

Anxiety disorder is the most common mental health disorder in the United States. One of the key factors that leads to the development and aggravation of anxiety disorders is mental stress. In this study, we reviewed publications that used physiological responses and symptoms to assess mental stress. This review found that mental stress affects heart rate, hear rate variability, blood pressure, and skin conductance. Fuzzy logic, time series, and Poincare plots are prominent data analysis tools for physiological data. Most studies used a threshold (e.g., Poincaré plot) or variance (e.g., moving average models) to distinguish stress from normal conditions. The variations and thresholds, however, might fluctuate across various activities and individuals. Moreover, most research evaluated lab-generated stress data, which may be biased. Therefore, more naturalistic studies should be conducted for future research.