Positive technologies for promoting Emotion Regulation abilities in adolescents

The research question in the present empirical contribution concerns if and how new technologies can support adolescents in stress management and in enhancing their emotion regulation abilities, proposing an innovative technology-enhanced approach. In recent years there is a growing interest in the use of emerging advanced technologies in supporting well-being and health promotion. Within the conceptual framework of Positive Technology, referring to those technologies specifically designed to foster positive emotions, to promote engagement in empowering activities and to support connectedness between individuals and groups, Riva, Waterworth, and Murray (2014) pointed out that they can improve the quality of personal experience in three separate, but related, ways: by structuring, by augmenting, or by replacing it (Riva, Baños, Botella, Wiederhold, & Gaggioli, 2012). Within this perspective, two main groups of positive technologies emerged, in relation to the management of psychological stress: virtual-interactive environments and mobile technologies (Serino et al., 2014). As to the emotion regulation domain, the several trainings developed so far aren’t actually combined with new technologies (CASEL, & LSS, 2003), (Harlacher, et al, 2010). On the other hand, the training solutions that employ innovative technologies to foster social and emotional learning in adolescents aren’t specifically focused on emotion regulation competencies (Ben Moussa, et al., 2009; Lim, 2011). Moreover, most researches in this domain have tested the efficacy of the training developed, through assessment strategies designed with one type of measurement technique at a time, although most recent theories highlight how emotions are multidimensional and multicomponent processes, claiming the urge for multi-modal assessment methods (Scherer, 2001). Starting from these premises, the efficacy of positive technologies was tested in a sample of young people aged 12-18. Two empirical studies were carried out with the aim on the one side, to test the efficacy of the Positive Technology App in inducing relaxation (PTA; Riva, 2013) and, on the other side, to validate and to evaluate the efficacy of some sessions of the BEAR training protocol (Pat-Horenczyk et al., 2012) in the technology-enhanced version developed. The Positive Technologies employed have been developed through a user-centered design, combining together different technological components such as gamification aspects, virtual characters and wearable physiological sensors. Overall, results show the efficacy of positive technologies not only in reducing perceived psychological stress and feelings of anxiety, but also in promoting engagement and motivation, as well as in improving the awareness of body sensations and the well-being of young users. In terms of general impact and anticipated benefits, this project aims at making progress in the state of the art of methodological solutions for the training of stress management and emotion regulation abilities, with the final goal to propose a useful tool for the improvement of these competences in adolescents.