Understanding User Experience of mHealth and Sensor Technology as part of Anxiety Treatment
Authors
Elsborg, Mette ; Gram, Louise
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2019
Pages
77
Abstract
Angst er en af de mest udbredte psykiske lidelser. Kognitiv adfærdsterapi (CBT) er den nuværende guldstandard, men der er plads til værktøjer, der hjælper mennesker med at opdage og reflektere over angst i øjeblikket. Bærbare sensorer kan måle kropslig aktivering i realtid, hvilket kan hjælpe med at genkende, hvornår angst opstår, og hvad der kan udløse den. Vi gennemførte et lille, længerevarende feltstudie med fire deltagere med angst. De bar en GSR-sensor (galvanisk hudrespons), som måler ændringer i hudledning forbundet med sved og kropslig uro. Vi brugte GSR-målingerne som cues i en Cued Recall Debrief-opsætning - strukturerede samtaler, hvor sensordata fungerer som påmindelser, når nylige episoder gennemgås. Derudover interviewede vi psykiatere for at forstå, hvordan sådan teknologi kan passe ind i behandlingen. Vores resultater peger på tre måder, systemet kan hjælpe: det kan støtte genkaldelse af episoder, bekræfte at en episode fandt sted, eller nogle gange afkræfte en oplevet episode, hvis det fysiologiske signal ikke passer. På den baggrund skitserer vi et design til en mobil app, der kan erstatte sensorens desktopprogram for at gøre værktøjet mere tilgængeligt, mobilt og personligt.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the current gold standard, but there is room to add tools that help people notice and reflect on anxiety as it happens. Wearable sensors can measure physiological arousal in real time, which may help people recognize when anxiety occurs and what might trigger it. We ran a small, long-term field study with four participants living with anxiety. They wore a galvanic skin response (GSR) sensor, which tracks changes in skin conductance related to sweating and bodily arousal. We used the GSR readouts as cues in a cued recall debrief setup - structured conversations where sensor traces prompt people to revisit and describe recent episodes. We also interviewed psychiatrists to understand how such technology might fit into treatment. Our findings indicate three ways the system can help: it can support remembering episodes, confirm that an episode took place, or sometimes challenge a perceived episode when the physiological signal does not match. Based on these insights, we outline a design for a mobile app to replace the sensor's desktop software, aiming to make the tool more accessible, portable, and personal.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
mHealth ; Anxiety ; GSR ; Field study ; Sensor
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