Abstract:

Stress has become a concern that affects students’ physical and mental well-being and subsequently their learning. To address this issue, wearable devices, such as smartwatches, have emerged as tools for stress detection and management (Jerath et al., 2023) by measuring heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), quality of sleep, physical activity, and other variables associated with stress. Real-time monitoring of stress may provide immediate biofeedback to individuals and allow for early self-intervention (Chalmers et al., 2022). How pervasive are smartwatches with stress detection among undergraduates? How effective are they as an unobtrusive way of providing biofeedback to students about their stress levels with respect to lowering their anxiety and increasing their stress-management skills so that they can be more effective in their learning?

This exploratory pilot study examined the effect of smartwatches equipped with HRV sensors for stress detection on undergraduate students’ anxiety. The research question of the study was the following: Are smartwatches with stress detection sensors effective for supporting students in reducing their anxiety? A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test control group design was used. Thirteen (13) students of an experimental group, who were self-selected, used the same commercially available smartwatch over a period of 3-4 weeks and had access to their measured stress on a 24/7 basis. Nineteen (19) students of a control group did not have access to smartwatches and used other means of stress management, over the same period. Students’ anxiety before and after the experiment was measured using a standardized instrument (GAD-7), which is based on participants’ recollections of the frequency of experiencing specific anxiety symptoms over the last two weeks. GAD-7 scores range from 0 (no anxiety) to 21 (severe anxiety).

The experimental group (M=6.00/21, SD=6.58) and the control group (M=8.18/21, SD=5.67) had “mild” anxiety levels prior to the study, based on GAD-7. An independent samples t-test compared students’ anxiety before the experiment and established that the two groups were equivalent (t27=-0.97, p=0.341). A slight, non-significant decrease in anxiety was observed in the experimental group from the pretest (M= 6.00, SD= 6.57) to the post-test (M=5.67 SD= 3.26). On the contrary, the control group’s anxiety increased from the pretest (M= 7.84, SD= 5.43) to the post-test (M= 10.11, SD= 5.24), indicating a “moderate” level of anxiety post-intervention. An independent samples t-test (t27=-2.5, p=0.019) for a comparison of students’ post-test anxiety scores showed that the experimental group had significantly lower anxiety (M=5.67, SD=3.26) compared to the control group (M=10.06, SD=5.41).

This exploratory pilot study showed that smartwatches with stress detection sensors are somewhat effective in supporting students in reducing their anxiety. Without any structured intervention for stress management students’ anxiety may increase over time. The sample size and duration of the study were too small to allow generalizability of findings. More research is needed on how smartwatches that detect stress can be used either in conjunction with stress management interventions, such as mobile apps for supporting resilience, to maximize their effectiveness, or as additional ways of measuring stress, complimenting self-reported data, in interventions that target stress management, to maximize learning.

Keywords:

Smartwatches, wearables, stress, anxiety, mental wellbeing, higher education.