Immediate help for school stress : digital feedback system for adolescents

Background and objective: School-related stress is a significant health burden for adolescents. Digital wearables offer new opportunities to monitor physiological stress responses in real time and to support self-regulation through tailored feedback. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate adolescents’ acceptance, experiences, and attitudes toward wearable stress sensors in the school context, and to identify indications of their potential benefits. Methods: Data collection took place in May 2025 in two ninth-grade classes (N = 22). A mixed-methods design included: 1. Physiological stress monitoring with EDA sensors (Movisens GmbH) during several lessons, capturing electrodermal activity as indicators of stress responses, 2. Questionnaire surveys via Unipark (after individual lessons and at the end of the school day), 3. Semi-structured interviews with 18 adolescents exploring subjective perceptions, daily experiences, and attitudes toward the technology. Quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS and qualitative data with MAXQDA (inductive thematic analysis). The physiological stress data are still being analyzed; first results focus on subjective perceptions. Results: Most students perceived the sensor as unobtrusive. About 70% reported that it did not interfere with lessons, while 80% noticed peers wearing the device without feeling disturbed. The “double-tap” function to mark subjective stress was widely used and perceived as a reflective tool. Interviews indicated an overall positive attitude, highlighting curiosity, useful self-observation, and openness to personalized feedback (e.g., breathing exercises or haptic vibration when stress was elevated). Criticism focused mainly on size, weight, and visibility of the device, as well as the adhesive electrodes. Data privacy emerged as a key concern; however, most participants accepted teacher access if intended for support rather than evaluation. Discussion and conclusion: Findings suggest that wearable stress sensors are generally well accepted in schools, provided that design and functionality are youth-friendly and data privacy is transparently addressed. Personalized feedback appears desirable and potentially effective in promoting self-regulation. The added value of such technologies lies in combining real-time monitoring with low-threshold interventions. Further analysis of physiological data will provide additional insights into the interaction between objective and subjective stress measures.