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While driving, stress is caused by situations in which the driver estimates their ability to manage the driving demands as insufficient or loses the capability to handle the situation. This leads to increased numbers of driver mistakes and traffic violations. Additional stressing factors are time pressure, road conditions, or dislike for driving. Therefore, stress affects driver and road safety. Stress is classified into two categories depending on its duration and the effects on the body and psyche: short-term eustress and constantly present distress, which causes degenerative effects. In this work, we focus on distress. Wearable sensors are handy tools for collecting biosignals like heart rate, activity, etc. Easy installation and non-intrusive nature make them convenient for calculating stress. This study focuses on the investigation of stress and its implications. Specifically, the research conducts an analysis of stress within a select group of individuals from both Spain and Germany. The primary objective is to examine the influence of recognized psychological factors, including personality traits such as neuroticism, extroversion, psychoticism, stress and road safety. The estimation of stress levels was accomplished through the collection of physiological parameters (R-R intervals) using a Polar H10 chest strap. We observed that personality traits, such as extroversion, exhibited similar trends during relaxation, with an average heart rate 6% higher in Spain and 3% higher in Germany. However, while driving, introverts, on average, experienced more stress, with rates 4% and 1% lower than extroverts in Spain and Germany, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family model of single mothers by choice (SMCs) is spreading in western industrial nations in the last 30 decades. Since gender equality and new methods in reproductive medicine do not sufficiently explain this phenomenon, this exploratory quantitative study investigates the psychological factors of SMCs assessing attachment style, social support, and Big Five personality traits issuing an online survey to 131 SMCs. In addition, this study aims to gather information about SMCs in German-speaking countries to close a research gap. Findings indicate similarities in characteristics between German-speaking SMCs and internationally reported SMCs. Independent-samples t-tests showed significant differences from the corresponding German norm sample in personality traits (conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience), attachment style, and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]