Associations of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity in job stress and burnout: A systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review examines the relationship between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity on the one hand and job stress and burnout on the other, and is registered at PROSPERO under CRD42016035918. Background: Previous research has shown that prolonged job stress may lead to burnout, and that differences in heart rate variability are apparent in people who have heightened job stress. Aims: In this systematic review, the associations between job stress or burnout and heart rate (variability) or skin conductance are studied. Besides, it was investigated which–if any–guidelines are available for ambulatory assessment and reporting of the results. Methods: We extracted data from relevant databases following the PRESS checklist and contacted authors for additional resources. Participants included the employed adult population comparing validated job stress and burnout questionnaires examining heart rate and electrodermal activity. Synthesis followed the PRISMA guidelines of reporting systematic reviews. Results: The results showed a positive association between job stress and heart rate, and a negative association between job stress and heart rate variability measures. No definite conclusion could be drawn with regard to burnout and psychophysiological measures. No studies on electrodermal activity could be included based on the inclusion criteria. Conclusions: High levels of job stress are associated with an increased heart rate, and decreased heart rate variability measures. Recommendations for ambulatory assessment and reporting (STROBE) are discussed in light of the findings.

Relationship between domains of physical activity and cardiac autonomic modulation in adults: a cross-sectional study

“…Occupational activities could be, in general, less intense than physical activities in other domains, as well as may be susceptible to exposure of environmental conditions related to work, as physical and mental stress, worries, and work overload. Besides that, high levels of job stress were associated with increased heart rate and decreased HRV indexes 22 . In this sense, this relationship could be a subject to further additional investigation.…”

Validity of the Empatica E4 Wristband to Measure Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Parameters: a Comparison to Electrocardiography (ECG)

“…Although the reliability and validity of the VU-AMS to obtain HRV parameters has been established [4,5], there is still debate on the validity of wearables as HRV monitoring systems. The use of these wearables in real-life is in particular challenging as there is considerable amount of movement, temperature fluctuation, and diurnal variation in HRV that could influence the recordings and subsequently the utility of the data [2,16]. Validation studies are critical to ensure the accuracy, reliability and limitations of wearables before recommending their widespread adoption as a research tool.…”

A Usability Study of Physiological Measurement in School Using Wearable Sensors

“…First, a critical future direction will be to incorporate incorporate ground-truth arousing events with a known timing, or expand the measurement to span several days increasing the chance to capture psychophysiological patterns. With specific regard to the school context, multi-day physiological measurement may reveal patterns potentially relevant to understand youth development of psychopathological symptoms, such as depression and anxiety [ 32 , 68 ]. It might also enable the possibility to examine the extent to which real-life physiological functioning is relevant to academic related-processes (e.g., academic motivation and achievement), and to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of social environmental experiences (e.g., social stress exposure) on youth development [ 69 ].…”