# Wearable devices and ecological momentary assessment EMA in the workplace: A study protocol on work stress assessment

## TL;DR

This study explores using wearable devices and real-time assessments to better understand and measure work-related stress in real-world settings.

## Contribution

The study introduces a participatory protocol combining wearable devices and EMA for dynamic, context-sensitive work stress assessment.

## Key findings

- Combining EMA and wearable data allows continuous tracking of stress responses during work.
- Participatory design improves the acceptability and feasibility of stress assessment tools in workplaces.

## Abstract

Work-related stress (WRS) remains a significant concern in occupational health. Despite its significance, measuring WRS presents methodological challenges. Advancements in real-time data collection methods offer new opportunities to enhance the accuracy of WRS assessment. This study proposes an innovative, participatory protocol for assessing WRS. The approach integrates subjective self-reported measures, collected through ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and physiological monitoring via wearable smartwatches. By combining time-contingent and event-contingent sampling, the methodology enables continuous tracking of stress responses throughout the workday, providing a more dynamic and context-sensitive understanding of workplace stress. A key objective of this research is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing this protocol in real-world organizational settings. By incorporating participatory design principles, the methodology actively involves workers in the assessment process, ensuring that the tools and procedures are both effective and user-friendly. This participatory approach fosters engagement and compliance, ultimately improving the quality of collected data. This study contributes to developing more robust and ecologically valid stress assessment methods. Integrating real-time monitoring with self-reported data represents a promising direction for occupational health research, paving the way for more targeted and evidence-based interventions to mitigate workplace stress.