Exploring Situated & Embodied Support for Youth's Mental Health: Design Opportunities for Interactive Tangible Device

The ability to manage emotions effectively is critical to healthy psychological and social development in youth. Prior work has focused on investigating the design of mental health technologies for this population, yet it is still unclear how to help them cope with emotionally difficult situations in-the-moment. In this paper, we aim to explore the appropriation, naturally emerging engagement patterns, and perceived psychological impact of an exemplar interactive tangible device intervention designed to provide in-situ support, when deployed with n=109 youth for 1.5 months. Our findings from semi-structured interviews and co-design workshops with a subset of participants (n=44 and n=25, respectively) suggest the potential of using technology-enabled objects to aid with down-regulation and self-compassion in moments of heightened emotion, to facilitate the practice of cognitive strategies, and to act as emotional companions. Lastly, we discuss design opportunities for integrating situated and embodied support in mental health interventions for youth.

Automated summary

The ability to manage emotions effectively is crucial for the psychological and social development of youth. This paper investigates the potential of using technology-enabled objects to provide in-the-moment support for youth in coping with emotionally difficult situations. The findings suggest that such interventions can aid with emotion regulation, self-compassion, and cognitive strategies, and act as emotional companions. The paper also discusses design opportunities for integrating situated and embodied support in mental health interventions for youth.