Individual Stress Level Research Articles

A Review Paper on Recognition of Human Emotions using Speech Signals

Human speech conveys much more than just linguistic meaning. It enables us to observe various aspects of speech that provide huge information about emotions reflected by human speech. Study of emotional content of speech helps in indicating the stress level of individuals. Stress level can be identified by manipulating human speech after the recording process is done. Emotion recognition in speech processing field is a very challenging issue due to its numerous applications. This paper presented a survey on certain essential speech parameters which can be used to deliver feelings from human speech and also, numerous strategies are mentioned for categorizing speech based totally on distinct feelings.

Designing a low-cost real-time group heart rate monitoring system

The aim of this paper is to present two different architectures for evaluating individual or group stress levels. First, the cloud architecture is presented in which a client device is used simply to detect an ECG (electrocardiographic) or PPG (photoplethysmographic) signal and transmit it in raw form to a server, where all the signal processing and evaluation is then carried out. The second architecture consists of a stand-alone client device that measures the signal and also performs signal processing, indicating the level of stress. Here the server merely receives the processed data and is mainly used to perform additional data analysis while providing a platform to show the stress (and other) evaluation results. We compared both architectures regarding the amount of data transmitted between the client and the server, the power and memory consumption of the client, and accuracy of the QRS algorithm detection where QRS refers to the heart's ventricular depolarisation and is represented by three deflections observed on a typical electrocardiogram. The QRS detection algorithms were tested with the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database and real-life data. The results indicate the accuracy of the QRS detection on the stand-alone device compared to that on the server side. A hybrid approach is more user-friendly because the stress-level results are displayed directly by the device rather than by an additional device such as a smart phone, whereas the server side allows for the long-term analysis of stress levels. These two client devices also have comparable prices, although the price of the stand-alone device is somewhat higher due to the graphical stress-level indicators. Therefore, we propose the hybrid approach when one is seeking a high-quality, miniature and low-cost solution that directly shows the stress level in real-time.

Elevated levels of 8-oxoGuo and 8-oxodG in individuals with severe mental illness – An autopsy-based study

Elevated systemic oxidative stress levels of 8-oxoGuo and 8-oxodG have been reported in individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). As no previous studies have addressed the link between local levels of 8-oxoGuo and 8-oxodG in the central nervous system (CNS), measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and urinary systemic levels, we employed autopsy-based material to elucidate this aspect. Additionally, we investigated the impact of 8-oxoGuo and 8-oxodG levels on the prevalence of somatic co-morbidities.Based on post mortem samples from deceased individuals with SMI (N = 107), we found significantly elevated urinary levels of both 8-oxoGuo and 8-oxodG compared to mentally healthy living controls. While we found an association between urinary and CSF 8-oxodG levels (r = 0.50, P < 0.001), a similar correlation was not evident for 8-oxoGuo (r = 0.15, P = 0.16). Additionally, the two r-values were significantly different (P < 0.001). Neither marker in urine or CSF was associated with obesity-related variables, metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. The post mortem interval did not affect the results, but the agonal phase seemingly introduced bias.This study provided novel insights into the cellular oxidative stress levels in individuals with SMI. We demonstrated that increased oxidative stress locally and systemically is correlated and is a clear phenomenon in SMI. Although post mortem measurements contain some weaknesses, our study indicates DNA as the main site of oxidative stress modifications in the CNS in SMI. This may provide novel opportunities for treatment modalities. Additionally, our study demonstrated the applicability of post mortem material investigating systemic and local 8-oxoGuo and 8-oxodG levels.

Occupational Stress Impact and the Risk of Burn-Out for Employees of the Healthcare Sector, Germany

In accordance with the German annual health report mental disorders of employees continue to grow. In particular the German employees of the healthcare sector have work challenges like demographic change, lack of specialists, etc. Thus it seems obvious that these employees suffer from risk of a high stress level. The present paper focuses primarily on quantitative analysis of the stress level of employees in the rural healthcare sector. This study analyses the mental and physical burdens. The results of this paper support the concept that employees of the healthcare sector experience a strong stress levels. The results also support the assumption that communication and company structure is influencing the individual stress level of these employees. Further results show that physical and mental comfort is strongly influenced by weekly working hours and they show there is an impact of working atmosphere and working conditions to mental and physical burdens.

Stress levels of dominants reflect underlying conflicts with subordinates in a cooperatively breeding species

Maintaining dominance status had long been considered to be less stressful than subordination. However, no consistency in stress levels of dominant and subordinate individuals has been demonstrated. Tactics used to achieve and maintain dominance could be determinant. In cooperatively breeding species, conflicts between dominants and subordinates are expected since dominant individuals tend to monopolize reproduction while subordinates seldom reproduce. Reproductive skew models predict that subordinates’ reproductive opportunities are either allotted or subject to competition with dominants. In the former case, no policing of subordinates by dominants is expected. In the latter, dominant should exert a control over the subordinates possibly leading to higher stress levels in dominants than in subordinates, which could be further elevated as the number of potential competitors in the group increases. In the present study, we aimed to test these hypotheses by assessing individual’s stress level using the neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (N:L) in a wild cooperatively breeding rodent, the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota). We found that dominants exhibit higher N:L ratio than subordinates and that dominants’ N:L ratio increases with the number of unrelated same-sex subordinates in the group. We conclude that controlling unrelated subordinates is stressful for dominants, as expected under tug-of-war models. These stress patterns reveal conflicting relationships between dominants and subordinates over the reproduction and social status acquisition. This study highlights the influence of the nature, strength, and direction of conflicts on stress levels. In cooperatively breeding species, reproductive skew models predict that subordinates’ reproductive opportunities are either allotted or subject to competition with dominants and, thus, can modulate the relative stress level between dominants and subordinates. In the first case, no policing of subordinates by dominants is expected, while in the second, dominant should exert a control over the subordinates which should lead to higher stress level in dominants than in subordinates, and particularly when subordinates are unrelated to the dominants. In Alpine marmots, we found that dominants exhibit higher stress level than subordinates and dominants’ stress level increased with the number of unrelated same-sex subordinates. These patterns are in agreement with the predictions of the tug-of war models of reproductive skew and indicate that controlling subordinates is costly for dominants.

Effect of dietary patterns on oxidative stress in Patiants with metabolic syndrome: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.

Background:Metabolic syndrome is a prevalent condition with dramatic rising trend worldwide. Single dietary factors, such as omega-3 fatty acids consumption protect body against oxidative damage by reinforcement of dietary total antioxidant capacity but the combination of all dietary components may be more effective when studied as integrated dietary patterns. This present study was designed to assess the association between different dietary patterns and oxidative stress in a population of Tehranian adults suffering from metabolic syndrome.Methods:Dietary data were collected using a validated 147-item semi-quantitative FFQ with a standard serving size. Factor analysis method was used to derive dietary patterns. Blood analysis and anthropometric measurements were also obtained. Oxidative stress was assesses using serum levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC).Results: The regression coefficient for TAC and MDA with different quintiles of dietary patterns, adjusted for potential confounder in model 3 reveal a significant positive association between healthy pattern and serum TAC levels (β=0.244, p=0.008) and also between serum MDA levels and the unhealthy pattern (β=0.387, p=0.0001). On the other hand, a significant negative association found between serum TAC levels (β=-0.289, p=0.001) and the unhealthy pattern, a relationship also noted between serum MDA levels and the healthy dietary pattern (β=-0.273, p=0.002).Conclusions:Our findings suggest that following a healthy pattern filled with fruits and vegetables ameliorates oxidative stress status and on the contrary, attachment to an unhealthy pattern, characterized by higher intakes of fast foods and processed foods, aggravated the oxidative stress levels in Tehranian individuals suffering from metabolic syndrome.

Salivary α-amylase as a marker of stress reduction in individuals with intellectual disability and autism in response to occupational and music therapy.

Although the benefits of a range of disability-centric therapies have been well studied, little remains known about how they work, let alone how to monitor these benefits in a precise and reliable way. Here, in two independent studies, we examine how sessions consisting of occupational or music therapy, both widely recognised for their effectiveness, modulate levels of salivary α-amylase (sAA), a now time- and cost-efficient marker of stress, in individuals with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. Pre-session and post-session levels of sAA were compared in both groups in response to therapy and control sessions. In comparison to control sessions, occupational therapy significantly dampened rises in sAA levels while music therapy significantly decreased baseline sAA levels, highlighting the ability of both types of therapy to reduce stress and by proxy contribute to enhancing overall well-being. Not only do these results confirm the stress-reducing nature of two types of multisensory therapy, but they support the use of sAA as a potential tool for evaluating stress levels in individuals with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder, providing an important physiological lens that may guide strategies in clinical and non-clinical care for individuals with disabilities.

Psychosocial Stress and Brain Function in Adolescent Psychopathology.

The authors sought to explore how conduct, hyperactivity/inattention, and emotional symptoms are associated with neural reactivity to social-emotional stimuli, and the extent to which psychosocial stress modulates these relationships. Participants were community adolescents recruited as part of the European IMAGEN study. Bilateral amygdala regions of interest were used to assess the relationship between the three symptom domains and functional MRI neural reactivity during passive viewing of dynamic angry and neutral facial expressions. Exploratory functional connectivity and whole brain multiple regression approaches were used to analyze how the symptoms and psychosocial stress relate to other brain regions. In response to the social-emotional stimuli, adolescents with high levels of conduct or hyperactivity/inattention symptoms who had also experienced a greater number of stressful life events showed hyperactivity of the amygdala and several regions across the brain. This effect was not observed with emotional symptoms. A cluster in the midcingulate was found to be common to both conduct problems and hyperactivity symptoms. Exploratory functional connectivity analyses suggested that amygdala-precuneus connectivity is associated with hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. The results link hyperactive amygdala responses and regions critical for top-down emotional processing with high levels of psychosocial stress in individuals with greater conduct and hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. This work highlights the importance of studying how psychosocial stress affects functional brain responses to social-emotional stimuli, particularly in adolescents with externalizing symptoms.

The Effects of Twelve Weeks of Tai Chi Practice on Anxiety in Stressed But Healthy People Compared to Exercise and Wait-List Groups-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This randomized controlled trial was undertaken to determine whether 12 weeks of Tai Chi (TC) practice can reduce anxiety in healthy but stressed people. Fifty participants were randomized into TC (n=17), exercise (n=17), and wait-list (WL) groups (n=16). Outcome measures used were State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale 14 (PSS14), blood pressure and heart rate variability, visual analogue scale (VAS), and Short Form 36. Significant improvements were observed from baseline for both TC and exercise groups for both state (p <0.01) and trait (p <0.01) anxiety, PSS14 (p <0.01), VAS (p <0.01), mental health domain (p <0.01), and vitality domain (p <0.01). Superior outcomes were also observed for TC when compared with WL for state and trait anxiety (p <0.01) and mental health domain (p <0.05). TC reduces stress levels in healthy individuals and provides a safer, cost effective, and less physically vigorous alternative to exercise.

Stress sensitivity in paranoia: poor-me paranoia protects against the unpleasant effects of social stress.

The attributional theory of paranoia suggests that paranoid beliefs may protect individuals from low self-esteem and distress (Bentall et al. 2001). The current study tested this theory by investigating a hypothesis that paranoid beliefs in combination with low perceived deservedness of persecution (poor-me beliefs) confer protection against the distress caused by social but not activity related stress. Paranoid symptoms, perceived deservedness of persecution, self-esteem, mood, and stress levels of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (N = 91) and healthy controls (N = 52) were assessed in the context of daily life using the experience sampling method. Individuals holding poor-me beliefs (poor-me individuals) showed blunted sensitivity to social but not activity stress. In contrast, individuals holding paranoid beliefs in combination with high perceived deservedness of persecution (bad-me individuals) showed heightened sensitivity to social stress. No consistent differences in reactions to activity stress emerged. Although both poor-me and bad-me individuals reported low self-esteem, this disturbance was particularly characteristic of bad-me individuals. The results suggest that poor-me paranoid beliefs may protect individuals against the distress associated with unpleasant social situations. The specificity of reactions to social stress is discussed in the context of wider literature. Future directions for research are suggested.

Nivel jerárquico, dominancia y niveles de cortisol salival como parámetro de estrés

The objective of the present study was to assess if there are different levels of cortisol in university workers according to their position in the institutional hierarchy. Based on previous studies, which found in primates and humans that subordinate individuals have more cortisol than dominant individuals in stable societies and in a situation without stressors in the environment, we sought to replicate these studies in the context of a university. The participants were 144 employees, 89 men and 55 women, who were executives and leaders, middle managers and operating personnel. Two salivary samples were taken in the afternoon with a 30min interval and averaged. The results showed that middle managers have higher levels of cortisol that leaders, but these in turn have more cortisol than the operating staff. Discussed on how the institutional social interactions and the dimension of power in these interactions, regulate the stress levels of individuals working in this context. Comments are concerning to some of the methodological implications for this kind of measures, as well as its practical implications.

Lean Stress Sensitization in Learning Factories

Nowadays, challenges like increasing product varieties or the demographic change, force companies to reinvent their organizational structure frequently. By means of implementing Lean Production Systems (LPS) many firms were able to eliminate unnecessary waste and therefore gradually improve their production processes. However, due the fact that the abovementioned organizational changes can always have a direct impact on the stress level of individuals, knowledge regarding this potentially harmful interrelation is inevitable for a company's overall productivity. Leaders are of particular importance in this construct, because their attention towards stressed employees represents the decisive lever in preventing productivity losses and costs caused by stress-related illness. However, a recent study revealed that future Engineering Managers do not understand the relationship between the implementation and execution of Lean initiatives and increased levels of employee stress.This paper proposes a concept for including harmful socio-technical interrelations like employee stress into learning factories. A learning environment that combines interdisciplinary training concepts provides an ideal basis for demonstrating and explaining potential employee stress. As a result, leaders will pay increased attention to include stress management in their daily leadership routines and become better in promoting a culture that focuses on adding value rather than generating illness-related costs.

Calibrating the time span of longitudinal biomarkers in vertebrate tissues when fine‐scale growth records are unavailable

AbstractBiological markers (biomarkers) are invaluable and widely adopted in ecology, archaeology, and anthropology. Serially sampling biomarkers along continuously growing inert tissue, such as vibrissae, hair, nail, horn, or baleen, is an ideal method by which to capture the changes in an individual's diet, environment, climate, health, and stress levels. However, there are complications in calibrating the time periods that samples represent. Here, we assess how the choice of model and the input data used affect the prediction of time span. We use the Antarctic leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx, as our model, with stable isotope data from the vibrissae of captive and wild animals. We show that for tissues with nonlinear growth, and where fine‐scale data on tissue growth are unavailable, modeling over the life span of the tissue is a simple and easily adopted approach. In this method, growth parameters are derived from surveys of the study population and the shed–replacement cycle to calibrate the time span of the biomarker data. This model performed better than linear and nonlinear models, which use parameters that have been derived from growth measurements documented over short periods relative to the life span of the tissue. These latter approaches performed in a similar fashion to each other as they tended to overestimate the life span of the tissue. Whether growth is linear or nonlinear, not accounting for position‐specific differences in growth (rates or coefficients) and asymptotic length (L∞) resulted in different interpretations of biomarker data across the samples collected from the same individual. In species where metabolically inert tissue grows in a progressive fashion, the ability to account for time‐specific information refines our ability to interpret the biomarker data. We recommend that this approach be adapted for tissue, such as the vibrissae and hair of mammals and the hair of humans, which exhibit the predictable growth.

Yoga reduces perceived stress and exhaustion levels in healthy elderly individuals

This study investigated whether a 7-week yoga intervention could improve physical function, perceived stress, and mental/emotional wellness in elderly participants. Methods8 participants (66.5 ± 0.3 years) attended 2 60-min Hatha yoga sessions/week for 7 weeks, and performed pre- and post-intervention assessments. Balance was assessed using a 5-test battery. Flexibility was measured by sit-and-reach and shoulder flexibility tests. Functional mobility tests included 8-ft up-and-go, 5 chair stands, and 4-m walk. Participants completed SF-12, exhaustion level, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaires. ResultsSF-12 Mental Component Summary scores, exhaustion levels, and PSS scores improved post-intervention. No differences were found for physical function measures. ConclusionsYoga participation can improve mental/emotional wellness, exhaustion levels, and stress levels in elderly individuals, even without measurable improvements in physical function. Clinicians and health practitioners who work with the elderly should consider yoga as a potential therapeutic modality for improving important aspects of quality of life in this population.

Going the Distance

Healthy romantic relationships are beneficial to an individual's physical and mental health. The prevalence of long-distance relationships (LDRs) is increasing; yet, no research has assessed whether the marriage–health association applies to individuals in LDRs. The present study investigated the marriage–health association in LDRs by comparing PR and LDR individuals on various health and relationship indices. Using both Qualtrics and Amazon's Mechanical Turk, we designed an online survey ( N = 296 married, 21 years or older, English speakers). Health measures included the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS-29); Perceived Stress Scale; and substance use, diet, and exercise surveys. Relationship variables assessed included satisfaction, maintenance, relationship stress, and sex. Overall, results were mixed, with no clear relationship arrangement relating to better health or relationship variable ratings. Relationship satisfaction did not differ across groups; however, individuals in PRs reported better maintenance, higher sexual frequency, and lower relationship stress. In terms of health, LDR individuals reported better health on several indices: overall scores; lower anxiety, depression, and fatigue subscale scores; and better diet/exercise behaviors. PR individuals reported lower individual stress levels, better medication adherence, and higher physical functioning scores than their LDR counterparts. Regression analyses indicated being in a LDR predicted more individual and relationship stress but simultaneously better diet and exercise behaviors. This study challenges the popular notion that health and happiness in a relationship stem from partner proximity and provides potential points of intervention to improve relationship satisfaction and health for individuals in both PRs and LDRs.

Responsiveness of the autonomic nervous system during paced breathing and mental stress in migraine patients.

BackgroundMigraine is a stress-related disorder, suggesting that there may be sympathetic hyperactivity in migraine patients. However, there are contradictory results concerning general sympathetic activation in migraine patients. To shed more light on the involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in migraine pathophysiology, we investigated cardiac and cardiovascular reactions during vagal (paced breathing) and sympathetic activation (mental stress test).MethodsHeart rate variability parameters and skin conductance responses were recorded interictally in 22 episodic migraine patients without aura and 25 matched controls during two different test conditions. The paced breathing test consisted of a five-minute baseline, followed by two minutes of paced breathing (6 breathing cycles per minute) and a five-minute recovery phase. The mental stress test consisted of a five-minute baseline, followed by one minute of stress anticipation, three and a half minutes of mental stress and a five-minute recovery phase. Furthermore we measured blood pressure and heart rate once daily over 2 weeks. Subjects rated their individual current stress level and their stress level during paced breathing and during the mental stress test.ResultsThere were no significant differences between migraine patients and controls in any of the heart rate variability parameters in either time domain or frequency domain analysis. However, all parameters showed a non-significant tendency for larger sympathetic activation in migraine patients. Also, no significant differences could be observed in skin conductance responses and average blood pressure. Only heart rates during the 2-week period and stress ratings showed significantly higher values in migraine patients compared to controls.ConclusionsGenerally there were no significant differences between migraine patients and controls concerning the measured autonomic parameters. There was a slight but not significant tendency in the migraine patients to react with less vagal and more sympathetic activation in all these tests, indicating a slightly changed set point of the autonomic system. Heart rate variability and blood pressure in migraine patients should be investigated for longer periods and during more demanding sympathetic activation.

Gesundheitsförderung durch Stress- und Burnout-Prophylaxe mit ätherischen Ölen für alle Berufsgruppen im Wiener Otto-Wagner-Spital

Hintergrund: Mehr als 50% der Menschen leiden an berufsbedingtem und familiärem Stress, der bei hohem Pegel zu körperlichen, mentalen und sozialen Beeinträchtigungen bis hin zum Burnout-Syndrom führen kann. Die regelmäßige Anwendung von hochwertigen ätherischen Ölen vermag den individuellen Stresspegel deutlich zu senken. In einem Projekt zur Gesundheitsförderung durch Stress- und Burnout-Prophylaxe soll die Stressreduktion durch ätherische Öle bestätigt werden. Methodik: In das Studienprojekt konnten insgesamt 88 Mitarbeiter des Wiener Otto Wagner Spitals mit auswertbaren Aufnahme- und 55 Mitarbeiter mit auswertbaren Abschluss-Fragebögen aufgenommen werden. Die Teilnehmer erhielten einen SOS-Stress-Deoroller mit 12 ätherischen Ölen, der mindestens 3-mal täglich einen Monat lang an den Pulszonen der Handgelenke aufgetragen wurde. Ergebnisse: Zum Befragungszeitpunkt 1 am Tag der Aufnahme in die Studie betrug der Stresswert bezogen auf eine Stress-Skala von 1 (gar nicht belastet) bis 10 (sehr stark belastet) im Mittel 6,28, am Ende der Beobachtungszeit 5,24. In der Analyse der körperlichen Beeinträchtigungen durch Stress (SK 1-8) zeigte sich beim Pflegepersonal (p = 0,036) und bei Personen über 50 Jahren (p = 0,012 bzw. 0,025) ein signifikanter Benefit der Aromatherapie. Das Belastungsniveau durch körperlichen, psychischen und sozialen Stress zwischen Befragungszeitpunkt 1 und 2 zeigte deutliche, mitunter signifikante positive Veränderung durch die Anwendung der ätherischen Öle. Bei 27 Teilnehmern konnten die Fragebögen von Zeitpunkt 1 und 2 dem jeweiligen Teilnehmer zugeordnet werden. In dieser Personengruppe zeigten sich sowohl in der Gesamtbelastung wie auch in allen Teilbereichen signifikant positive Ergebnisse der Aromatherapie. Schlussfolgerung: Ein Großteil der Teilnehmer konnte mittels der ätherischen Öle im SOS-Stress-Deoroller seine Stress-assoziierten Beeinträchtigungen deutlich reduzieren. Es konnten keine allergischen Reaktionen oder Unverträglichkeiten beobachtet werden. Ausgewählte hochwertige ätherische Öle können für die Prophylaxe und Behandlung von Stress und Burnout empfohlen werden.

Relationship of demographic variables and factors affecting stress among college

College students are at a critical juncture of life where they prepare and look for jobs or decide to go for higher studies. They are expected to play key roles in the society after completion of their studies. They should, therefore, have stress management abilities to cope up with pressures and also to live a healthy life. The present paper is an attempt to empirically investigate two objectives: first, to investigate the factors that influence the individual stress level and second to determine the relationship between demographic variables and factors affecting stress among students. The study is based on primary data with a sample of 150 respondents drawn from colleges of Hisar district of Haryana state. Statistical tools like factor analysis and ANOVA have been used to analyse the data. The results of factor analysis reveal five important factors named as: personal problems, relationship problems, social problems, academic problems and lastly environmental problems, that influence an individual's stress levels. Factor analysis also discloses that students get more stress from personal, relationship and social problems. Further, the factors are significantly different across qualifications, family types, area and residential status.

The Effect of Chronic Stress on Learning Orientation: A Thailand Case Study

This study examines effect of chronic stress on learning orientation. In particular study focuses on employees (N=158) and university students (N=123) in Kingdom of Thailand. Due in part to long-lasting world-wide recession, American Psychological Association has found that there has been a sharp spike in individual chronic stress levels over past five years. It is well known that high stress impairs one's ability to learn, and thus reduces motivation. However, results of this study show that Thais may be unique as chronic stress was not found to significantly impact learning orientation. Thais have previously been given title of the master's of relaxation and typically adapt to change with an easy-going attitude. The findings suggest that adopting characteristics of Thai culture would help to negate impact of stress on learning orientation.

Validation and use of hair cortisol as a measure of chronic stress in eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus).

Stress levels of individuals are documented using glucocorticoid concentrations (including cortisol) in blood, saliva, urine or faeces, which provide information about stress hormones during a short period of time (minutes to days). In mammals, use of hair cortisol analysis allows for the assessment of prolonged stress over weeks and months and provides information on chronic stress levels without bias associated with handling. Here, we validate hair cortisol analysis in wild rodents using exogenous adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH challenge) and apply the technique to evaluate stress in eastern chipmunks inhabiting logged and natural sites. Chipmunks were subjected to a mark-recapture study and injected weekly with ACTH (Synacthen Depot) or saline, with hair being collected at the conclusion of the challenge. Subsequently, faecal and hair samples were collected from chipmunks occupying logged and natural sites to assess the utility of hair cortisol in comparison with faecal cortisol metabolites. Following extraction, cortisol concentrations were quantified in hair and faecal extracts by enzyme immunoassay. Hair cortisol concentrations were significantly elevated in samples from ACTH-injected chipmunks compared with saline-injected control animals (five times higher). Chipmunks inhabiting logged sites had increased faecal cortisol metabolite concentrations compared with those in natural sites, but no differences were observed in hair cortisol concentrations. Faecal cortisol metabolite levels were positively correlated with hair cortisol levels in chipmunks. Hair cortisol levels reflect changes in circulating cortisol levels and can be used to evaluate the adrenal stress response, and thus stress, in natural populations. Nonetheless, because of the differences in the temporal scale of stress that hair and faeces represent, we caution the use of hair cortisol for detecting differences in physiological stress when comparing individuals within populations and suggest that it is best suited to examining population-level differences.