설문조사와 생리적 지표를 이용한 스트레스지수의 개발

이종선(Chong Sun Lee),박병강(Byung Kang Park),정인욱(In Wook Chung),이성일(Sung Il Yi),소병록(Byung Rok So) 대한스트레스학회 2011 스트레스硏究 Vol.19 No.1

본 논문에서는 개인의 스트레스를 알아내기 위하여 설문에 의한 점수와 측정에 의한 점수를 합쳐서 산출되는 스트레스지수를 개발하였다. 스트레스설문은 일반인을 위하여 병원 및 보건소에서 사용하는 기존의 스트레스설문 중에서 뽑아내서 신체, 행동, 심리/감정과 관련된 20개의 질문을 활용하여 재구성하였다. 스트레스측정 점수를 나타내기 위하여 심박수변이도의 퓨리어 스펙트럼의 저주파와 고주파 성분에 대한 적분값들의 크기를 사용하여 점수화 하는 방법을 개발하였다. 개발된 스트레스지수의 유효성을 평가하기 위해 종합병원에서 임상실험을 실시하였다. 스트레스지수는 보건소에서 활용하는 스트레스 설문지의 점수와 뚜렷한 상관관계를 보였다. 스트레스설문 점수는 나이에 따른 변화가 거의 없었으나 개인에 따른 편차가 매우 큰 것으로 나타났다. 스트레스측정 점수는 나이에 따라 큰 기울기로 감소하는 것으로 나타났으며 나이 상관계수도 높았다. 그러므로 나이가 들어감에 따라 스트레스가 누적되어 자율신경의 활동이 약화되고 스트레스에 대한 저항력이 떨어지는 것을 알 수 있었다. 본 연구에서 산출한 스트레스 측정점수는 IEMBIO(주)의 Canopy7에서 제공하는 스트레스지수와 0.868의 높은 상관계수를 나타냈다. 그러므로 상용의료기기에서 산출되는 스트레스지수는 자율신경 활동도와 관련된 스트레스 저항력을 나타내며, 본 연구의 스트레스 상태를 알아보는 설문과 심박수변이도의 측정으로 나타나는 스트레스 저항력을 각각 50%씩 반영하여 산출하는 스트레스지수와는 차별된다. In order to identify personal stress, we developed a stress index calculated by combining scores from survey and measurement. Stress survey utilized 20 questions related to physical, behavior, and psychology/emotion chosen from existing stress surveys being used in the hospital or public health center. Stress measurement score was estimated by developing a method of scoring by using the integrated values of the low frequency and high frequency components of Fourier spectrum of the hearth rate variability (HRV). A clinical trial was conducted in a general hospital to evaluate validity of the developed stress index. The stress index showed a good correlation with the existing stress survey score available in the public health center. The stress survey score showed very large variations among individuals with little correlation with age. However, the stress measurement score decreased with a large slope with age, and the age correlation coefficient was high. Therefore, we were able to observe that as age progresses, stress is accumulated and the autonomic nerve activity weakens resulting in the decrease in the stress resistance. The stress measurement score calculated in this study showed a high correlation coefficient of 0.868 with the stress index provided by Canopy7 of IEMBIO. Therefore, the stress index calculated from the employed equipment indicates stress resistance related to the autonomic nerve activity, and therefore it is distinguished from the stress index developed in this study calculated by reflecting both the current stress state through the survey and the stress resistance through the HRV measurement. (Korean J Str Res 2011;19:11∼19)

A Review on the Job Stress Measurements in Nuclear Power Plant Workers for Human Error Prevention

Seon Soo Kim,Meiling Luo,Yeon Ju Oh,Yong Hee Lee 대한인간공학회 2013 大韓人間工學會誌 Vol.32 No.1

Objective: The aim of this study is to review the job stress measurement for applying in nuclear power plants(NPPs). Background: The standard and guideline to evaluate and manage the job stress is insufficient in NPPs. Although job stress might have a negative effect on task performance particularly it can be related with human error in NPPs. Method/Results: This paper considered the objective and subjective stress measurements. One of the questionnaire(Korean Occupational Stress Scale) and the experiment method was investigated to apply in NPPs. KOSS was analyzed about the inter item consistency and correlation with the workload, and relative importance. In the objective evaluation considered the experiment method for the physical and mental job stress and analyzed from the phased point of view. Conclusion/Application: The measurement and criteria to evaluate job stress for operators must be complemented on the job characters and environments in NPPs. This study may support to confirm and manage the job stress in NPPs. The study of more specific methodology on job stress in NPPs is required on the basis of this paper.

Design to Destress Kids: A proposal for stress management design among children and teachers

( Hyun-Kyung Lee ) 한국디자인트렌드학회 2022 한국디자인포럼 Vol.27 No.4

Background Child abuse in childcare centers has been exposed frequently through the media. Data shows that stress has a significant influence on the behavior of teachers and can lead to neglect and maltreatment of children. This study proposes “SSOK (쏙, Stress-free Smiles of Kids),” which is a product and a mobile application service that allow teachers to be aware of their stress levels and those of the children, helping teachers to implement necessary measures for the mental health of all parties in childcare centers. The product is composed of a Chewable vitamin candy attached to a swab to collect salivary cortisol measurements used for stress level assessment. The mobile application service, accessed by teachers and parents, keeps track of stress levels and provides methods for stress management. Method Herein, this study (1) explains the effectiveness of assessing stress levels with salivary Cortisol measurements, (2) presents the specific designs and functions of the product and the service, and (3) analyzes the results of a user experience test with the product on a child and a teacher. The user experience test sought to determine the participants' awareness of stress, simulate the experience of using the prototype of the product, and obtain feedbacks afterwards. Result Recent studies have revealed the development of products capable of assessing stress levels through salivary Cortisol measurements. However, products directed specifically towards the interests of children have shown to be less reviewed than that of adults. The user experience test highlighted the requirement for improvements in the functionality and usability of the proposed product. Conclusion The proposal aims to enhance the working environment of teachers, and the learning environment of children in childcare centers. Further effort is needed to fundamentally solve the problem of stress-inducing environments in childcare centers.

한국판 스트레스 마인드셋 측정도구의 요인구조, 방법효과 및 측정동일성 검증

박다은 한국산업및조직심리학회 2022 한국심리학회지 산업 및 조직 Vol.35 No.2

Stress mindset refers to implicit beliefs about the effects of stress. Although academical interests in stress mindset are growing, we know next to nothing about whether the original stress mindset scale, developed by Crum and colleagues (2013), can be used for working professionals in Korea. To examine whether the same stress mindset scale can be used in Korean adults with different occupations, we recruited college students and working professionals in finance, medicine, and education (N=531) and asked them to complete stress mindset and perceived stress questionnaires. Findings from a confirmatory factor analysis found no evidence for method effects in the original 8-item stress mindset scale. Furthermore, the results indicated that 4-item stress mindset scale, measuring debilitating effects of stress (Stress Mindset-N4), fits data better than the original 8-item scale and 4-item mindset scale, measuring enhancing effects of stress (Stress Mindset-P4). Measurement invariance testing of Stress Mindset-N4 supports configural, metric invarianc, and scalar invariance. Furthermore, the scale scale reliably predicts perceived distress. ‘스트레스=부정적’이라는 인식이 팽배함에도 불구하고 스트레스의 효과성에 대한 개인의 관점은 차이가 있다. 어떤 사람은 스트레스는 무조건 부정적이라고 믿는 반면 어떤 사람은 스트레스를 통해 성장․발달할 수 있다고 믿는다. 이처럼 스트레스의 효과성에 대한 개인의 신념을 스트레스 마인드셋이라 한다. 본 연구에서는 미국인을 대상으로 Crum과 동료들이 개발한(2013) 스트레스 마인드셋 척도가 국내 다양한 직업군에서 사용될 수 있는지를 요인구조, 방법효과, 측정동일성 검증을 통해 살펴보았다. 대학생과 금융, 의학, 교육 분야에 종사하는 성인 531명을 대상으로 자료를 수집하였으며, 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 확인적 요인분석 결과, Crum과 동료들이 제안한 8개 문항으로 구성된 측정모형의 적합도는 양호하지 않았으며, 방법효과를 통제한 모형에서도 적합도가 좋지 않았다. 스트레스의 부정적인 효과성을 측정하는 4문항으로 구성된 도구(Stress Mindset-N4)와 긍정적인 효과성을 측정하는 4문항으로 구성된 도구(Stress Mindset-P4)의 적합도는 양호한 것으로 나타났으며, 그중에서도 Stress Mindset-N4의 적합도가 더 높았다. Stress Mindset-N4와 P4 도구의 직업별 측정동일성 검증에서는 전자는 형태, 요인부하량, 절편 동일성이 지지 되었으며, 후자는 형태, 요인부하량 동일성이 지지 되었다. 더불어 두 도구 모두 지각한 스트레스를 유의하게 예측하였다. 본 연구결과가 가지는 이론적, 실증적 의의를 논의하였다.

설문을 이용한 스트레스 평가

신호철 대한의사협회 2013 대한의사협회지 Vol.56 No.6

Stress is an area of research that has grown and diversified enormously since the early work of W. E. Cannon and Hans Selye. This development has been accompanied by an accelerated and renewed interest in instruments for evaluating stress and related factors. At present,the questionnaire method is the most popular for stress measurement. However, there is no consensus on how to measure stress because of the diverse scope of stress dynamic. There are many different kinds of questionnaires for measuring stress. And these questionnaires are different according to the various aspects, such as external stressors, individual’s sense of control or coping, susceptibility, personality type, and subjective symptoms. Each questionnaire has its own drawbacks as a tool for measuring stress. Therefore choosing the appropriate instruments for evaluating stress objectively is a basic and crucial step for developing effective stress reduction strategies. Another important problem is that many of the questionnaires for measuring stress currently used in the field lack an appropriate cross-cultural adaptation process for the translated version and sufficient evidence of validity and reliability.

Estimating Bed Shear Stress Distribution over Bottom of a Channel on the Moving Vessel

Kim Dong Hyeon,황진환 한국해양과학기술원 2023 Ocean science journal Vol.58 No.1

Shear stress is critical in the determination and estimation of bedload transport and morphological changes. Generally, the bed shear stress is estimated in felds using three-dimensional fow velocities acquired by an acoustic Doppler velocimeter and current profler mounted on the channel bottom or anchored vessel. The temporal measurement and estimation of the bed shear stress by the conventional methods in a fxed point must be signifcantly close to the actual bed shear stress; however, the conventional methods may not provide sufcient information of spatial distribution of the bed shear stress over the entire domain, i.e., the measurements in several fxed points cannot guarantee that the measured values represent the entire domain of interest. Therefore, the present work proposed a framework for acquiring the spatial distributions of shear stress over a domain. Accordingly, a reach with a length and width of 5.6 km and 250 m, respectively, at the end of the Hyeongsan River in South Korea was surveyed through the moving-vessel measurement with ADCP measuring the velocities of that channel reach to estimate shear stress. To collect over a possible maximum spatial domain in a short duration, the moving-vessel technique was applied over the survey region without stopping a vessel. The measurement was conducted in a series of single zigzag transects instead of repeatedly transects over a same cross section. The spiked noises of velocity were observed in high frequencies at a single transect and so the noises were smoothed by moving average over a reasonable circular space. After the spatial interpolation, the accuracy of the spatial distributions of the bed shear stress was compared to the anchoredvessel measurement, and the reliable bed shear stress map was provided as a result.

반려앵무의 심리적 안녕감과 스트레스 스펙트럼 연구

강대훈,송성은,신은송,노광현 사단법인 한국융합기술연구학회 2024 아시아태평양융합연구교류논문지 Vol.10 No.2

Within the global context, parrots have emerged as one of the most prevalent companion animals, holding a considerable stake of one trillion won in the six trillion-won American pet market as of 2021. These birds, outliving and outsmarting their canine and feline counterparts, have started to establish a place for themselves in South Korea's pet ownership market because of their long lifespan, high intelligence, and remarkable human interaction. Given their intelligence, these social creatures are easily stressed, with parrots being particularly sensitive to the point of self-injury or sudden death as a result of stress. This study aims to explore a stress spectrum that categorizes and evaluates the intensity of stress experienced by conure parrots, commonly domesticated in households, to enhance the psychological well-being of these companion birds. Four conure parrots were subjected to various stress stimuli: 'confinement movement stimulus' involving sudden transfer to an unfamiliar and confined space, 'noise stimulus' from the loud noise of a vacuum cleaner, 'activity limitation stimulus' where free-ranging parrots were leashed and restricted to perches, 'sleep deprivation stimulus' by disrupting normal sleep patterns with continuous artificial lighting, and 'light color stimulus' involving exposure to white and yellow light. Thermal imaging analysis was used to assess the parrots' stress reactions to these stimuli. The evaluation of stress indices and trends from the induction of stress revealed that 'activity limitation stimulus' elicited the highest stress index, followed by 'noise stimulus', 'light color stimulus', 'confinement movement stimulus', and 'sleep deprivation stimulus'. The parrots showed an adaptive response over time to the 'confinement movement stimulus' and 'activity limitation stimulus'. But although "noise stimulus" raised stress indices at first, they eventually decreased. Contrarily, the parrots did not adjust to 'sleep deprivation stimulus' and 'light color stimulus', with a continual rise in stress indices. By quantifying stress responses to five identified stressors, this research establishes metrics for assessing stress levels in parrots. These findings hold important implications for enhancing the health and welfare of parrots and can be applied broadly within the pet and animal husbandry industries. 앵무새는 전 세계적으로 가장 흔한 반려동물 중 하나로, 2021년 미국의 6조원 규모의 반려동물 시장에서 1조원을 차지한다. 앵무새는 반려견묘보다 수명이 길고 지능이 높으며, 사람과의 교감이 뛰어나 최근 국내에서도 앵무새 반려 인구가 생겨나기 시작하였다. 지능이 높은 동물들은 사회성을 지니기 때문에 스트레스를 잘 받는데, 특히 앵무새는 스트레스로 인하여 자해하거나 돌연사 할 정도로 민감하다. 본 연구는 가정에서 주로 사육되는 코뉴어 앵무새에게 발생 가능한 다양한 스트레스 요인을 기반으로, 앵무새가 느끼는 스트레스의 강도를 구분하고 평가하는 스트레스 스펙트럼을 탐구함으로써 반려앵무새의 심리적 안녕감 향상에 기여할 수 있는 방법을 연구하는 것을 목표로 하였다. 네 마리의 코뉴어 앵무새에게 다양한 스트레스 자극을 유도하였는데, 낮설고 좁은 공간으로 갑자기 이동시키는 '제한공간이동자극', 시끄러운 청소기 소음에 의한 '소음자극', 자유로운 앵무새에게 리드줄을 채워서 횃대에 묶어 활동에 제한을 주는 '활동제한자극', 평소 수면하던 시간에 계속 인공광을 점등하여 수면을 방해하는 '수면제한자극', 백색광과 황색광 조사를 통한 '빛색상자극' 5가지를 유도 하였으며, 이에 따른 스트레스 반응은 열화상분석을 통해 평가하였다. 스트레스 유도 실험에 대한 스트레스 지수 및 경향 평가 결과, 단기적인 자극에 대한 스트레스 지수는 '활동제한자극'이 가장 높았으며, ‘소음자극', '빛색상자극', '제한공간이동자극', '수면제한자극' 순서였다. '제한공간이동자극'과 '활동제한자극'에 대하여서는 앵무새들이 시간이 지남에 따라 스트레스에 적응하는 경향을 보였다. 반면, '소음자극'에 대하여서는 단기적으로 스트레스 지수가 증가했지만, 시간이 지남에 따라 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 하지만 '수면제한자극'과 '빛색상자극'자극에 대하여서는 앵무새들이 적응하지 못하고 스트레스 지수가 계속 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 본 연구는 앵무새에게 스트레스를 유발하는 5가지 요인에 대한 스트레스 반응을 정량화하여, 앵무새에 대한 스트레스 수치를 평가할 수 있는 지표를 마련하였다. 이 연구 결과는 앵무새의 건강과 복지 향상뿐 아니라 애완동물 및 동물 사육 산업 전반에 걸쳐 중요한 응용 가능성을 갖추고 있다.

한국인 직무 스트레스 측정도구의 개발 및 표준화

장세진,고상백,강동묵,김성아,강명근,이철갑,정진주,조정진,손미아,채창호,김정원,김정일,김형수,노상철,박재범,우종민,김수영,김정연,하미나,박정선,이경용,김형렬,공정옥,김인아,김정수,박준호,현숙정,손동국 大韓産業醫學會 2005 대한직업환경의학회지 Vol.17 No.4

Background and Purposes: Over the past three decades, numerous studies performed in Korea have reported that job stress is a determinant risk factor for chronic diseases and work disability. Every society has its own culture and occupational climate particular to their organizations, and hence experiences different occupational stress. An occupational stress measurement tool therefore needs to be developed to estimate it objectively. The purpose of this study is to develop and standardize the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) which is considered to be unique and specific occupational stressors in Korean employees. Subjects and Methods: Data were obtained from the National Study for Development and Standardization of Occupational Stress (NSDSOS Project: 2002-2004). A total of 12,631 employees from a nationwide sample proportional to the Korean Standard Industrial Classification and the Korean Standard Occupational Classification were administered. The KOSS was developed for 2 years (2002-2004). In the first year, we collected 255 items from the most popular job stress measurement tools such as JCQ, ERI, NIOSH and OSI, and 44 items derived from the a qualitative study (depth interview). Forty-three items of KOSS, in the second year, were retained for use in the final version of the KOSS by using Delphi and factor analysis. Items were scored using conventional 1-2-3-4 Likert scores for the response categories. Results: We developed eight subscales by using factor analysis and validation process: physical environment (3 items), job demand (8 items), insufficient job control (5 items), interpersonal conflict (4 items), job insecurity (6 items), organizational system (7 items), lack of reward (6 items), and occupational climate (4 items). Together they explained 50.0% of total variance. Internal consistency alpha scores were ranged from 0.51 to 0.82. Twenty-four items of the short form of the KOSS (KOSS-SF) were also developed to estimate job stress in the work setting. Because the levels of the subscales of occupational stress were gender dependent, gender-specific standard norms for both the 43-item full version and the 24-item short form using a quartile for the subscales of KOSS were presented. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that KOSS might be an appropriate measurement scale to estimate occupational stress of Korean employees. Further and more detailed study needs to be conducted to improve the validity of this scale.

일부 지역 대학생의 생활 스트레스와 수면, 신체계측, 영양소섭취 상태와의 상관관계

성민정,장경자,Sung, Min-Jung,Chang, Kyung-Ja 한국식품영양과학회 2007 한국식품영양과학회지 Vol.36 No.7

대학생의 생활 스트레스와 수면, 신체계측, 영양소섭취 상태와의 상관관계를 알아보고자 자기 기입식 설문조사와 신체계측 및 체성분 검사, 식이섭취조사를 실시한 결과는 다음과 같다. 대학생들의 평균 수면 시간은 남학생 7.0시간, 여학생 7.1시간이었고, 수면 점수는 남학생 40.6${\pm}$5.7, 여학생 41.5${\pm}$5.3으로 수면 시간과 수면 점수에 있어 남녀 간에 유의한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 수면과 생활 스트레스 간의 상관관계에서 남녀 모두에게 수면 시간은 생활 스트레스의 수준(스트레스 경험 빈도, 중요도, 총 스트레스 점수)과 상관관계를 보이지 않았으나, 수면의 질을 나타내는 수면 점수와 생활 스트레스 수준(스트레스 경험 빈도, 중요도, 총 스트레스 점수)을 살펴보았을 때, 남녀 모두에게 생활 스트레스와 수면의 질 간에 매우 유의한 음의 상관관계를 보여(p<0.01) 수면의 양보다는 수면의 질이 생활 스트레스와 더 상관이 있음을 보여주었다. 생활 스트레스 경험 빈도, 중요도, 총점과 신체계측 간에 상관성을 보았을 때 남학생은 생활 스트레스 경험 빈도, 중요도, 총점과 신체계측 및 체성분 간에 유의한 상관관계가 나타나지 않았으나 여학생은 생활 스트레스 경험빈도, 총점이 신체발달 점수와 유의한 음의 상관관계를 보였다(p<0.05). 남학생의 경우 경제 문제와 신체계측과의 상관관계에서 체중(p<0.05), 허리둘레(p<0.05), 엉덩이둘레(p<0.05)와 유의적인 음의 상관관계를 보였다. 여학생은 이성 문제에 대한 스트레스와 BMI(p<0.05), 체지방률(P<0.01), 복부지방률(p<0.01), 비만도(p<0.05) 간에 유의적인 음의 상관관계를 보였고, 친구 문제와 BMI(p<0.05), 비만도(p<0.05), 엉덩이둘레(p<0.05)간에 유의적인 양의 상관관계를 보였으며 학업 문제에서 체지방률(p<0.05), 복부지방률(p<0.05)과 유의적인 양의 상관관계를 보였다. 영양소 섭취량과 생활 스트레스와의 상관관계에서 몇몇 영양소와 생활스트레스 간에 유의한 상관성을 보였으며, 생활 스트레스 원인별로 그 양상이 달랐다 남학생은 대체로 동물성 식품으로부터 얻을 수 있는 영양소인 칼슘, 철분 등과 생활 스트레스 간에 양의 상관관계를 보였다. 이상에서 조사된 바에 의하면 대학생의 생활 스트레스는 수면의 양보다는 수면의 질과 상관성이 있었으며 체성분, 영양소 섭취상태와도 상관성을 보였다. 생활 스트레스에 적절히 대처하는데 올바른 식습관 및 생활습관의 확립이 도움이 될 것으로 사료되며 대학생을 대상으로 운동, 자신이 좋아하는 취미활동 하기, 상담제도 이용 등의 올바른 생활스트레스 관리 방법에 대한 교육과 바람직한 식생활을 위한 영양교육이 필요하다고 사료된다. This study was performed in order to investigate the stress levels, sleep, anthropometric measurement and nutrient intakes their correlations of college students. General characteristics, stress scores using a stress test, sleep scores using a sleep test, anthropometric measurement, body composition using Inbody 3.0 and nutrient intakes using 3-day recalls were measured in 353 subjects (183 males and 170 females). Mean total stress score of the male students was 68.2${\pm}$45.0 and that of the female students was 86.5${\pm}$48.7. Stress for study, future, economic and value-related factors were higher than other factors in both male and female students. Female students were more stressed than male in friend, family, study, future and value-related factors. Mean sleeping time and sleep scores of the male students were 7.0 hrs and 40.6${\pm}$5.7, respectively and that of the female students were 7.1 hrs and 41.5${\pm}$5.3, respectively. Mean height, weight, percent body fat (PBF) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) of the male students were 174.8 cm, 73.3 kg, 19.0% and 0.84, respectively. Mean height, weight, PBF, and WHR of the female students were 161.7 cm, 55.3 kg, 28.7% and 0.81, respectively. Mean energy and protein intakes of the male students were 2026.3 kcal (77.9% EER) and 83.0 g (150.9% RI) and those of the female students were 1538.2 kcal (73.2% EER) and 60.7 g (134.9% RI), respectively. In male students, sleep duration, professor and future problem showed significantly negative correlation (p<0.05). For both male and female students, in correlations between sleep scores, life stress experience frequency and importance, the total scores showed significantly negative correlation (p<0.01). Sleep scores (sleep quality) have more significant correlation than sleep duration in life stress. In male students, correlations between economic problem and weight, waist circumference and hip circumference showed significantly negative correlation. In female students, correlations between different gender problem and body mass index (p<0.05), PBF (p<0.01), WHR (p<0.01) and obesity degree (p<0.05) showed significantly negative correlation while correlation between study problem and PBF (p<0.05), WHR (p<0.05) showed significantly positive correlation. In male students, there were significantly positive correlations between life stress experience frequency and carbohydrate calcium, iron, vitamin A; correlation between importance and calcium, iron as well as correlation between total life stress scores and iron (p<0.05). In female students, correlation between life stress experience frequency and thiamin along with correlation between importance and thiamin showed significant negative correlation (p<0.05). College students need to practice good life habits for the purpose of correctly managing life stress.

Pre-slaughter stress, animal welfare, and its implication on meat quality

최지환 충남대학교 농업과학연구소 2018 Korean Journal of Agricultural Science Vol.45 No.1

Meat quality includes technological quality attributes, consumer acceptance, and credence characteristics. In terms of credence characteristics, animal welfare is one of the most interesting topics to both consumers and the livestock industry. Consumers prefer meat produced from livestock that has been raised in low stress and ecofriendly environments. The livestock industry cares about animal welfare to meet the requirements of consumers. Animal welfare is closely associated with the stress and physiological response of livestock to stress. Moreover, stress just before slaughter (i.e., pre-slaughter stress) has negative effects on not only animal welfare but also ultimately on meat quality. It is well-documented that pre-slaughter stress can influence ante- and post-mortem biological changes of the muscles, especially their metabolic properties and metabolites. The metabolic properties and metabolites contents also can modulate the postmortem changes of the muscles. Conversion of muscles to meat during postmortem is a very important process because it determines ultimately the meat quality. Thus, understanding pre-slaughter stress and physiological responses to stress in farm animals is important for animal welfare and meat quality. The purpose of this paper was to examine the concept of stress, physiological responses to stress, measurement of stress, and the relationships between stress indices and meat quality traits.