PHYSIOLOGICAL POSTURAL HAND TREMOR IN FEMALE STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT ANXIETY LEVELS UNDER ACADEMIC STRESS CONDITIONS
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30970/sbi.2002.884
Abstract
Background. Physiological postural tremor is considered an objective indicator of motor instability and emotional reactivity; however, its relationship with anxiety levels in female students under academic stress conditions remains insufficiently studied.
Materials and Methods. The study involved 20 right-handed female students aged 18–20 years. The research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The frequency and amplitude of the physiological tremor of the right and left hands were recorded using an MPU6050 accelerometer in free and postural positions of the limb along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes. Spectral characteristics were analyzed using the fast Fourier transform. Relative change in tremor amplitude (ΔAmplitude, %) during the transition from free to postural position was calculated and analyzed using a factorial model including stress condition (module completion assessment vs no assessment), hand, and axis. Anxiety level was assessed using the validated DASS-21 questionnaire and analyzed as a continuous variable.
Results. Moving the hand from a free to a postural position significantly increased tremor amplitude, while tremor frequency remained unchanged. The magnitude of postural tremor enhancement was primarily axis-dependent, with the largest relative increases observed along the Z-axis (approximately 130–217 %). No significant main effect of academic stress on tremor enhancement was detected. Anxiety level did not exert a global effect on tremor amplitude. However, exploratory correlation analysis revealed a moderate positive association between the DASS score and ΔAmplitude along the Z-axis of the non-dominant hand under the stress condition (Spearman ρ = 0.462, p = 0.040, n = 20).
Conclusions. Postural enhancement of physiological tremor in female students is predominantly determined by biomechanical direction, particularly along the Z-axis. Anxiety appears to modulate direction-specific tremor responses under academic stress rather than inducing a generalized increase in tremor amplitude.
Keywords
physiological tremor, еnd-of-module assessment, accelerometry
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