TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Appropriation of a Socially Assistive Robot Among Minority Youth at Risk of Self-Harm
T2 - Results of 2 Mixed Methods Pilot Studies
AU - Digital Youth With Sprouting Minds
AU - Williams, A. Jess
AU - Townsend, Ellen
AU - Naeche, Nkem
AU - Chapman-Nisar, Amelia
AU - Hollis, Chris
AU - Slovak, Petr
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the support of the UK Research and Innovation Digital Youth Programme award (Medical Research Council project reference MR/W002450/1), which is part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council/Economic and Social Research Council/Medical Research Council Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind programme. The authors would also like to thank Sprouting Minds as a whole for their engagement with the Digital Youth Programme.
Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the support of the UK Research and Innovation Digital Youth Programme award (Medical Research Council project reference MR/W002450/1), which is part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council/Economic and Social Research Council/Medical Research Council Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind programme. The authors would also like to thank Sprouting Minds as a whole for their engagement with the Digital Youth Programme. The contributors associated with Digital Youth With Sprouting Minds are as follows: Jo Gregory; Elvira Perez Vallejos; Rebecca Woodcock; Emma Nielsen; Peter Fonagy; Louise Arseneult; Sarah Doherty; Lucy-Paige Willingham; Cathy Creswell; Emily Lloyd; Josimar De Alcantara Mendes; Carolyn Ten Holter; Marina Jirotka; Zsofia Lazar; Praveetha Patalay; Yvonne Kelly; Aaron Kandola; Edmund Sonuga-Barke; Sonia Livingstone; Kasia Kostryka-Allchorne; Jack Bourgaize; Mariya Stoilova; Rory O'Connor; Dorothee Auer; Sieun Lee; Nitish Jawahar; Marianne Etherson; Chris Greenhalgh; Kapil Sayal; Jim Warren; Vajisha Wanniarachchi; Kevin Glover; Paul Stallard; Charlotte Hall; Mathijs Lucassen; Sally Merry; Karolina Stasiak; Camilla Babbage; Kareem Khan; Adam Parker; Holly Griffiths; Joanna Lockwood; Lauren Posada.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2023/11/22
Y1 - 2023/11/22
N2 - Background: Minority youth are at an increased risk of experiencing self-harmful thoughts and behaviors. However, there is limited evidence of successful interventions to support young people in the moment of their distress. Digital interventions are considered a potential solution for providing in-the-moment support for those at risk of adverse mental health and self-harm. Objective: These pilot studies aim to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a new in situ intervention tool, Purrble, among two broad groups of minority youth: (1) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and similar minority (LGBTQ+) youth and (2) racial and ethnic minority youth. Purrble was designed to support in-situ emotion regulation (ER) support when individuals are facing emotionally challenging situations. Methods: This study consisted of 2 mixed methods pilot studies that followed the same mixed methods design, including 3 weeks of daily and weekly surveys and optional follow-up interviews. Inclusion criteria were (1) aged between 16 and 25 years, (2) part of a minority group, (3) had experiences of self-harmful thoughts or behaviors or elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety, and (4) living in the United Kingdom at the time of the study. The primary outcomes were (1) the feasibility of Purrble as an intervention among pilot samples (analyzed by consent rate, retention rate, adherence to surveys, and engagement with the device) and (2) the acceptability and appropriation of Purrble across pilot studies as a tool to support ER in situ (thematically analyzed qualitative open-ended questions and interview data). The secondary outcomes were descriptive pilot data concerning the mental health outcomes in each sample. Results: In total, 21 LGBTQ+ young people participated in pilot study 1, with 86% (n=18) completing the baseline and 3 weeks of daily surveys. These young people maintained engagement with Purrble across deployment, across which period there was a decrease in self-harmful thoughts and anxiety symptoms. A total of 19 ethnic and racial minority youths participated in pilot study 2, and 84% (n=16) completed the study. Although pilot study 2 participants also maintained engagement with Purrble across deployment, this was to a lesser degree than participants of pilot study 1, and perceived mental health outcomes did not indicate potential change associated with the device. The thematic analysis indicated three superordinate themes: (1) stopping the self-harm cycle, (2) adopting ER strategies, and (3) stages of change. Conclusions: These were the first pilot studies of a novel intervention that aimed to provide in situ ER support for young people at risk of self-harm. Both quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that young people found Purrble to be a feasible and acceptable intervention, as they effectively incorporated the device into their ER practices. These engagements with Purrble were described as interrupting the cycle of self-harmful ideation and behavior.
AB - Background: Minority youth are at an increased risk of experiencing self-harmful thoughts and behaviors. However, there is limited evidence of successful interventions to support young people in the moment of their distress. Digital interventions are considered a potential solution for providing in-the-moment support for those at risk of adverse mental health and self-harm. Objective: These pilot studies aim to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a new in situ intervention tool, Purrble, among two broad groups of minority youth: (1) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and similar minority (LGBTQ+) youth and (2) racial and ethnic minority youth. Purrble was designed to support in-situ emotion regulation (ER) support when individuals are facing emotionally challenging situations. Methods: This study consisted of 2 mixed methods pilot studies that followed the same mixed methods design, including 3 weeks of daily and weekly surveys and optional follow-up interviews. Inclusion criteria were (1) aged between 16 and 25 years, (2) part of a minority group, (3) had experiences of self-harmful thoughts or behaviors or elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety, and (4) living in the United Kingdom at the time of the study. The primary outcomes were (1) the feasibility of Purrble as an intervention among pilot samples (analyzed by consent rate, retention rate, adherence to surveys, and engagement with the device) and (2) the acceptability and appropriation of Purrble across pilot studies as a tool to support ER in situ (thematically analyzed qualitative open-ended questions and interview data). The secondary outcomes were descriptive pilot data concerning the mental health outcomes in each sample. Results: In total, 21 LGBTQ+ young people participated in pilot study 1, with 86% (n=18) completing the baseline and 3 weeks of daily surveys. These young people maintained engagement with Purrble across deployment, across which period there was a decrease in self-harmful thoughts and anxiety symptoms. A total of 19 ethnic and racial minority youths participated in pilot study 2, and 84% (n=16) completed the study. Although pilot study 2 participants also maintained engagement with Purrble across deployment, this was to a lesser degree than participants of pilot study 1, and perceived mental health outcomes did not indicate potential change associated with the device. The thematic analysis indicated three superordinate themes: (1) stopping the self-harm cycle, (2) adopting ER strategies, and (3) stages of change. Conclusions: These were the first pilot studies of a novel intervention that aimed to provide in situ ER support for young people at risk of self-harm. Both quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that young people found Purrble to be a feasible and acceptable intervention, as they effectively incorporated the device into their ER practices. These engagements with Purrble were described as interrupting the cycle of self-harmful ideation and behavior.
KW - digital intervention
KW - emotion regulation
KW - experience sampling
KW - interviews
KW - self-harm
KW - young people
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179171729&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2196/52336
DO - 10.2196/52336
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85179171729
SN - 2561-326X
VL - 7
JO - JMIR Formative Research
JF - JMIR Formative Research
IS - 1
M1 - e52336
ER -