Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Feb 26, 2026
Date Accepted: Oct 7, 2026
Measuring Perceived Stress in Healthy Adults in Daily Life: A Scoping Review of Smartphone–Based Self–Assessment
ABSTRACT
Background:
Smartphone‑based assessment methods such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) are increasingly used to measure self‑reported stress in research and clinical practice. However, the proliferation of studies and methods has made it difficult for researchers and practitioners to maintain an overview and make informed methodological choices. An updated synthesis of smartphone‑based self‑report methods is therefore needed.
Objective:
This scoping review systematically maps smartphone‑based methods for assessing self‑reported stress in healthy adults during daily life, characterizes measurement strategies and implementation choices, and narratively examines the extent to which validity evidence is reported.
Methods:
Following PRISMA‑ScR guidelines, we searched Web of Science, Embase and MEDLINE, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, ACM, and PsycINFO. Eligible studies assessed general subjective stress in healthy adults using smartphone‑based self‑report measures in daily life. Screening was conducted independently by at least two reviewers at abstract and full‑text levels. Methodological characteristics of stress measurement were extracted and summarized descriptively.
Results:
From 8,777 deduplicated records, 108 studies met all eligibility criteria. Publication frequency increased notably over the review period. Most studies used observational designs, with EMA–style prompting schedules. Stress was typically assessed using very brief measures: the majority of instruments (84/114, 74%) consisted of a single item, most commonly answered using Likert–type or Visual Analog Scales (VAS). Measurement frequency ranged from once per week to multiple prompts per day, with intensive approaches (≥3 prompts/day) being most common. Despite the prevalence of these instruments, only a minority of studies reported validity or reliability measures. When provided, evidence typically consisted of correlations with established stress questionnaires or affective measures. A small subset conducted psychometric analyses or more elaborate validation of instruments.
Conclusions:
Smartphone–based stress assessment is widespread but methodologically heterogeneous. This review provides an updated methodological overview to support researchers and practitioners in selecting or developing robust smartphone–based measures of stress, and it highlights the need for more systematic psychometric evaluation. Clinical Trial: Open Science Framework (OSF); https://osf.io/7um6b
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