Feature Representation Learning for Subject- independent Stress Detection using Physiological Signals

Stress is a complex problem that has multiple e¿ects on the body and the mind. Stress is the body's response to overwhelming demands or challenges from a scenario that manifests as emotional, physical, or behavioural changes. The way an individual sees the scenario has a signi¿cant impact on how stressed they are. When an individual faces a challenge in achieving a goal, they evaluate the scenario in two stages. The need to achieve the desired goal is accessed in the ¿rst stage, and the external and internal resources to meet the challenge are accessed in the second stage. Every individual is exposed to a stressful scenario at some point in life and will react accordingly. Various circumstances may be thought of that have the potential to be experienced over and over again, even multiple times every day.

Stress levels may develop considerably in certain students and appear with signs of anxiety, notably during examinations, which are termed academic stress. The cause of academic stress is considered as fear of an exam due to lack of interest in a particular subject or lack of proper preparations for the exam, etc.

Positive stress and negative stress are the two main types of stress. Positive or acute stress is the stress that lasts for a short time when an individual's capabilities are sücient to meet the challenge. Negative or chronic stress is the stress that lasts for a long time when a challenge exceeds an individual's capabilities. Every individual is exposed to a stressful scenario at some point in life and will react accordingly. If an individual can cope with the stressful scenario, the next time a similar scenario arises, it will not create much stressful impact on an individual. Similarly, if an individual cannot cope with a stressful scenario and is repeatedly exposed to a similar scenario, it will lead to chronic stress on an individual. The brain triggers the stress response in reply to visual input from the ears, nose, and eyes whenever the body encounters a stressful scenario. This response is known as "¿ght-or-¿ight"