CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF MENTAL ARITHMETIC TASK AS A STRESS TEST MEASURED USING ELECTROMYOGRAM ON THE TRAPEZIUS MUSCLE

• Main Author: Bimantaka Christianto, Eldhian
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/87639
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Many people do not realize the levels of stress they are experiencing. Psychological stress has detrimental effects on mental and physical health, including increasing the risk of coronary heart disease, acute heart attacks, and immune system disorders, making individuals more susceptible to infections. Additionally, stress also affects mental health by increasing the risk of dementia, cognitive dysfunction, and excessive fatigue, while lowering the quality of life. Therefore, accurately detecting stress is crucial. With advancements in the medical field, the development of methods, procedures, and technologies to measure stress levels is essential to provide more reliable information for medical practitioners to help individuals manage their stress. Based on the background described, this study aims to evaluate whether EMG signals and the Mental Arithmetic Task (MAT), designed with three levels of difficulty that gradually increase to induce psychological stress, can be used as a tool to measure psychological stress. The measurement is conducted by administering a stress test as a stressor to participants equipped with surface electrodes connected to an EMG device. The device records the activity of trapezius muscle signals located in the upper right and left shoulders. The results show that, according to VAS data, participants began to have trouble and increased stress at MAT level 2, with the peak stress occurring at this level. Although MAT level 3 also caused stress, the stress levels experienced by participants were not as high as the previous level, making it less optimal for inducing stress. EMG analysis supports these findings by showing that MAT level iv 2 is the optimal level for eliciting psychological stress. EMG signal data from the trapezius muscles show significant changes between stress and rest conditions, with amplitudes increasing as the MAT difficulty levels rise. This increase aligns with VAS results, indicating that muscle activity is directly proportional to psychological stress levels. These findings suggest that EMG signals can serve as an effective alternative to traditional questionnaires like the PSS-10.