This manuscript focuses on selecting and testing subjective assessment methods to measure mental strain in control rooms. Based on interviews with energy sector workers, our framework includes activation, mental workload, and attention, as they were closely linked to experienced mental stress during critical decision-making situations. Consequently, we translated the Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List (AD-ACL) and the Workload Profile (WP) into German and validated them alongside the Flow Experience questionnaire. To assess their applicability, 96 volunteers performed two tasks (single-task and multitask) of varying difficulty at different times of day. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the internal structure of the AD-ACL and Flow scales, while internal consistency was adequate across all instruments. Convergent and discriminant validity were verified through correlations between self-report measures and task performance. Additionally, all instruments showed sensitivity to task difficulty manipulations. These findings support the use of these tools in human-computer interaction research and their potential for assessing adaptive assistance systems in control rooms.

This article is published in the Journal "Frontiers in Psychology" (2026).