Untreated anxiety undermines long-term physical and emotional wellbeing, especially among college students, with rates worsening since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the leading evidence-based intervention for anxiety, but many students fail to complete exercises between CBT sessions, reducing its effectiveness. Socially assistive robots (SARs) help promote adherence to home-based practice in the context of elder care, social skill learning, and physical therapy, but it is unknown how SARs can enhance CBT. The specific objective of this research is to develop personalized CBT SARs that can support CBT compliance for college students with anxiety. To meet the goals of the proposed work, these studies will determine how SAR personalization based on implicit and explicit feedback can help promote greater CBT compliance and anxiety reduction outcomes for students.
Inclusion Criteria
- Are 18 years of age or older
- Are university students
- Are able to communicate in English
- Have corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
- Consent to have audio/video/interaction data recorded as part of the study
- Have a GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item) score of 5 or greater, indicating mild to elevated levels of self-reported symptoms of anxiety
- Have a lower than minimal level of suicidality risk as measured by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) during screening ("NO" responses to items 3, 4, 5, and 6 on C-SSRS)
- Having access to home WiFi
Exclusion Criteria
- Are less than 18 years of age
- Are not university students
- Are not able to communicate in English
- Do not have corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
- Do not consent to have audio/video/interaction data recorded as part of the study
- Have a GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item) score of 4 or lower.
- Higher than a minimal level of suicidality risk as measured by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) during screening ("YES" responses to items 3, 4, 5, or 6 on C-SSRS)
- Don't have access to home WiFi