@techreport{klein_smart_2023,
author = "Carolin S. Klein and Karsten Hollmann and Jan K\"uhnhausen and Annika K. Alt and Anja Pascher and Winfried Ilg and Annika Thierfelder and Martin A. Giese and Helene Passon and Christian Matthias Ernst and Enkelejda Kasneci and Bj{\"o}rn Severitt and Martin Holderried and Wolfgang Bethge and Heinrich Lautenbacher and Ursula W{\"o}rz and Jonas Primbs and Michael Menth and Caterina Gawrilow and Annette Conzelmann and Gottfried M. Barth and Tobias J. Renner",
abstract = "Background: Telemedicine interventions support behavioral state-of-the-art treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as therapy can be delivered in the patients' home environment, allowing for more ecologically valid symptom actualization and access to experts even in rural areas. Sensors to indicate a patient´s emotional state and gaze direction during exposures with response prevention help to adapt therapy individually and to prevent avoidance behavior. This study will investigate the feasibility and acceptability of sensor-based telemedical treatment for children with OCD in the home setting.
Methods: We plan to develop the therapy system with 10 healthy children and 5-10 children with OCD, aged 12-18 years, and then to evaluate it by treating 20 children with OCD of the same age group in 14 weekly therapy sessions via teleconference. We will use eye trackers to record the patient´s gaze and pupillometry, while the heart rate is captured by an ECG chest belt to identify stress responses. Inertial sensors capture movements to detect behavioral patterns. An app is used to record the children's self-rated symptoms and emotional state on a daily basis. Pre- and post-study questionnaires on obsessive-compulsive symptoms, feasibility and acceptance of the therapy by children, parents and therapists will be evaluated.
Conclusion: We expect this therapeutic approach to show good feasibility and significant symptom reduction, as well as improvement for psychotherapeutic interventions through direct feedback of physiological responses within therapy sessions. We will further explore the underlying mechanisms in OCD treatment before applying them to other disorders.",
doi = "10.2139/ssrn.4395216",
institution = "SSRN",
title = "{S}mart {S}ensory {T}echnology in {T}ele-{P}sychotherapy of {C}hildren and {A}dolescents with {O}bsessive-{C}ompulsive {D}isorder ({OCD}): {A} {F}easibility {S}tudy",
type = "preprint",
url = "https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=4395216",
year = "2023",
}