Becoming Centered
Challenge:
Research suggests that “during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic 1 in 5 youth” globally were “experiencing clinically elevated levels of anxiety” (Racine, et al., 2021).
In April of 2022, U.S. Preventive Service Task Force recommended screening for anxiety in children and adolescents between 8 and 18 years due to the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s mental health. However, mental health providers are in limited supply and the demand for services is high.
Solution:
Our app Becoming Centered is designed to provide children and youth with science-driven mindfulness-based exercises to reduce anxiety.
Research
I LISTENED to students during field interviews as they expressed their levels of stress, anxiety and feelings of dread. After a year in quarantine, some were verbally and visually anxious about going on the bus because they were getting bullied. Others were concerned about how peers will treat them at school and kept avoiding eye contact.
My survey research had parents work with their children to fill out an anxiety questionnaire, within our local community to gauge if we also experienced this issue.
Survey
Post-pandemic, students were stressed out for various reasons as shown below. The most prominent reason was conflicts that arose when they interacted with other students.
Persona
“I want to feel better when I go to school.”
Age: 8 yrs
Chief Complaint: Anxiety due to bullying
SUMMARY:
He feels worried about going to school. He can’t focus on school work because he is worried about kids at school being mean to him. This makes him anxious. He is not sure what he can do to keep himself calm and focused.
GOALS:
I want to feel happy, not feel scared and nervous when I meet my school friends.
FRUSTRATIONS:
Some kids on the bus and at school are very mean.
I get worried when I am in class about what they might do or say.
I can’t do my schoolwork because I am worried about the mean kids.
Persona
“I want to feel more confident in life and at school.”
Age: 12
Chief Compliant: Lack of focus and feelings of being overwhelmed.
FRUSTRATIONS:
I feel lost and confused about schoolwork.
I don’t understand why I can’t get concepts as quickly as I did before.
I have health issues that distract me from being focused on school all the time.
GOALS:
I want to regain my confidence and be able to really focus on my schoolwork. I want to put my best foot forward.
SUMMARY:
Jenni is a middle school student who needs help in focusing on tasks at hand. She has anxiety because recently she has been having trouble with her schoolwork. She feels overwhelmed and constantly feels like she has to play catchup.
Emerging Theme
Throughout the research, I observed that these children are exposed to novel or challenging environments and do not have the skills respond appropriately.
Recognize
Reflect
Respond
Ideation
New Concepts
VR Therapy
Children are placed in a virtual environment where they simulate encounters that evoke unwanted feelings. Children work with VR therapists to deconstruct what happened and learn appropriate responses. Finally, they go back in the simulation and respond accordingly.
Mindfulness app
Design app where children learn to self-recognize, reflect, and respond to novel experiences at their own pace. The app will use mindfulness techniques to help these children.
Tele-therapist
Design app to understand children’s issues and pair them with a tele-therapist that specializes in those issues.
The ideas below were thought through to see how to help these children.
Prototype
The prototype where children chose to engage in and learn to self-regulate by recognizing triggers, reflecting, and responding to their experiences at their own pace was designed.
The other two ideas though good may not be as accessible for children. For example, the one-on-one therapist model is not always available for children if they need help at an odd time. Similarly, not every child/family has the financial means to own a VR set just for therapy hence that model was tabled as well.
Wireframes
Final Responsive Designs
Mobile App Design
Website Design
Conclusion: These short videos or audios aid in addressing anxiety in children. Further, they are able to use the application on their own and track their progress. These are all steps that will help children self regulate and reduce anxiety.