The Stress of Vigilance May Influence Reports of Simulator Sickness: A Factor Analysis of the SSSQ and SSQ in Auditory Vigilance Tasks

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between stress and simulator sickness within auditory vigilance tasks as a follow-up to reports that stress was linked to simulator sickness in visual vigilance tasks. The Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Short Stress State Questionnaire (SSSQ) were employed in two different experiments utilizing auditory vigilance tasks. Correlational relationships between reported stress and simulator sickness were investigated using exploratory factor analysis. These results support findings that the stress of vigilance is associated with reports of simulator sickness in vigilance tasks. Since simulator sickness should not occur within an auditory task due to a lack of visuo-vestibular conflict, these findings also support the notion that the stress of vigilance exaggerates reports of simulator sickness symptomology. These stress-related reports of simulator sickness symptomology in auditory vigilance are a potential concern for the validity of simulator sickness assessments within tasks that require vigilance.