Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workers
Background: Mental health problems, particularly depression, significantly impact the working-age population and incur substantial socioeconomic costs. Electrodermal activity (EDA) and skin temperature, measurable through wearable devices, have emerged as potential biomarkers of depression. However,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Affective Disorders Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915325000071 |
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| author | Yuki Ishikawa Tatsuki Sugio Kiko Shiga Keisuke Izumi Kazumichi Minato Momoko Kitazawa Sayaka Hanashiro Ryo Takemura Hiroyuki Uchida Taishiro Kishimoto |
| author_facet | Yuki Ishikawa Tatsuki Sugio Kiko Shiga Keisuke Izumi Kazumichi Minato Momoko Kitazawa Sayaka Hanashiro Ryo Takemura Hiroyuki Uchida Taishiro Kishimoto |
| author_sort | Yuki Ishikawa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Mental health problems, particularly depression, significantly impact the working-age population and incur substantial socioeconomic costs. Electrodermal activity (EDA) and skin temperature, measurable through wearable devices, have emerged as potential biomarkers of depression. However, there is a lack of long-term observational studies in real-world settings. Methods: This 4-week observational study analyzed data from 147 office workers across 11 Japanese companies. Participants wore wearable devices during working hours for four weeks to collect EDA and skin temperature data. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and stress was assessed using the 10-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The associations between electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and depressive/stress states were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Participants with PHQ-9 scores ≥5 showed higher median skin conductance and median tonic signal, although these differences lost statistical significance after Bonferroni correction. Logistic regression analysis revealed a negative correlation between age and both PHQ-9 and PSS-10 scores (OR=0.525, 0.646). The mean and standard deviation of skin temperature showed a positive association with depressive symptoms (OR=1.687, 1.733), while normalized EDASymp showed a negative association (OR=0.564). Conclusions: This study suggests that EDA and skin temperature, measured by wearable devices, may be associated with depressive symptoms among office workers. These physiological indicators could be utilized for mental health monitoring and early intervention in the workplace. Further validation with larger samples, and long-term follow-up studies, are warranted. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9e1d0485383b4a069d320a256a2b1f42 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-9153 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Affective Disorders Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-9e1d0485383b4a069d320a256a2b1f422025-02-07T04:48:28ZengElsevierJournal of Affective Disorders Reports2666-91532025-04-0120100877Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workersYuki Ishikawa0Tatsuki Sugio1Kiko Shiga2Keisuke Izumi3Kazumichi Minato4Momoko Kitazawa5Sayaka Hanashiro6Ryo Takemura7Hiroyuki Uchida8Taishiro Kishimoto9Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Human Relations, Shigakukan University, Kagoshima 890-8504, JapanDivision of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, NHO Tokyo Medical Center, Tokyo 152-8902, Japan; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, JapanTechDoctor, Inc., Tokyo 104-0031, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, JapanBiostatistics Unit, Clinical and Translational Research Center, Keio University Hospital, Tokyo 160-8582, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, JapanHills Joint Research Laboratory for Future Preventive Medicine and Wellness, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 106-0041, Japan; Department of Psychiatry, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, New York, NY 11004, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Department of Molecular Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA; Correspondence author at: Hills Joint Research Laboratory for Future Preventive Medicine and Wellness, Keio University School of Medicine, #7F Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower 1-3-1 Azabudai, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 106-0041, Japan.Background: Mental health problems, particularly depression, significantly impact the working-age population and incur substantial socioeconomic costs. Electrodermal activity (EDA) and skin temperature, measurable through wearable devices, have emerged as potential biomarkers of depression. However, there is a lack of long-term observational studies in real-world settings. Methods: This 4-week observational study analyzed data from 147 office workers across 11 Japanese companies. Participants wore wearable devices during working hours for four weeks to collect EDA and skin temperature data. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and stress was assessed using the 10-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The associations between electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and depressive/stress states were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Participants with PHQ-9 scores ≥5 showed higher median skin conductance and median tonic signal, although these differences lost statistical significance after Bonferroni correction. Logistic regression analysis revealed a negative correlation between age and both PHQ-9 and PSS-10 scores (OR=0.525, 0.646). The mean and standard deviation of skin temperature showed a positive association with depressive symptoms (OR=1.687, 1.733), while normalized EDASymp showed a negative association (OR=0.564). Conclusions: This study suggests that EDA and skin temperature, measured by wearable devices, may be associated with depressive symptoms among office workers. These physiological indicators could be utilized for mental health monitoring and early intervention in the workplace. Further validation with larger samples, and long-term follow-up studies, are warranted.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915325000071Wearable devicesElectrodermal activitySkin temperatureDepressionStressOffice workers |
| spellingShingle | Yuki Ishikawa Tatsuki Sugio Kiko Shiga Keisuke Izumi Kazumichi Minato Momoko Kitazawa Sayaka Hanashiro Ryo Takemura Hiroyuki Uchida Taishiro Kishimoto Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workers Journal of Affective Disorders Reports Wearable devices Electrodermal activity Skin temperature Depression Stress Office workers |
| title | Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workers |
| title_full | Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workers |
| title_fullStr | Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workers |
| title_short | Electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression: A 4-week observational study of office workers |
| title_sort | electrodermal activity and skin temperature characteristics related to stress and depression a 4 week observational study of office workers |
| topic | Wearable devices Electrodermal activity Skin temperature Depression Stress Office workers |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915325000071 |
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