A wearable system for the stress monitoring of air traffic controllers during an air traffic control refresher training and the trier social stress test: A comparative study

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2018

Authors

Susana Rodrigues (Author) Other; Joana S. Paiva (Author) Other; Duarte Dias (Author) Other; Marta Aleixo (Author) Other; Rui Filipe (Author) Other; João Paulo Silva Cunha (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Open Bioinformatics Journal

Vol. 11 No. 1

Pages: 106-116

ISSN: 1875-0362

Publisher: Bentham Science

Indexing

Scopus - 5 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00N-ZD5

DOI: 10.2174/1875036201811010106

Abstract (EN): Background: Air Traffic Control (ATC) is a complex and demanding process, exposing Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) to high stress. Recently, efforts have been made in ATC to maintain safety and efficiency in the face of increasing air traffic demands. Computer simulations have been a useful tool for ATC training, improving ATCs skills and consequently traffic safety. Objectives: This study aims to: a) evaluate psychophysiological indices of stress in an ATC simulation environment using a wearable biomonitoring platform. In order to obtain a measure of ATCs stress levels, results from an experimental study with the same participants, that included a stress-induced task were used as a stress ground truth; b) understand if there are differences in stress levels of ATCs with different job functions (¿advisors¿ vs ¿operationals¿) when performing an ATC Refresher Training, in a simulator environment. Methods: Two studies were conducted with ATCs: Study 1, that included a stress-induced task - the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and Study 2, that included an ATC simulation task. Linear Heart Rate Variability (HRV) features from ATCs were acquired using a medical grade wearable Electrocardiogram (ECG) device. Self-reports were used to measure perceived stress. Results: TSST was self-reported as being much more stressful than the simulation task. Physiological data supports these results. Results from study 2 showed more stress among the ¿advisors¿ group when comparing to the ¿operational¿ group. Conclusion: Results point to the importance of the development of quantified Occupational Health (qOHealth) devices to allow monitoring and differentiation of ATCs stress responses. © 2018 Donato and Denaro.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11