Self-managing a chronic condition involves adapting management strategies to life's continual change. Among these changes, moments of significant life transition can render routine self-management practices obsolete without significant modification to the new context. In this study, we examine one significant life transition for young adults living with Type 1 Diabetes, the move from home to university, to understand how near future AI-enhanced technologies might provide opportunities and challenges for supporting care. From interviews with 24 students in the UK who had moved away from their childhood homes, we used sensemaking literature to frame the process of initial disruption to the rebuilding of self-care practices around a new lifestyle and support networks. By studying a significant life transition, we uncover implications for the design of T1D technology, particularly closed-loop systems, through AI enhancements and human-centred design approaches, then extrapolate for other significant life transitions and chronic conditions.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580901
Designing for children with ADHD has been of increasing interest to the HCI community. However, current approaches do not adequately involve all relevant stakeholders, and primarily focus on addressing symptoms, following a medical model of disability that is extrinsic to neurodivergent interests. To address this, we employed a multi-step, multi-stakeholder approach (N=31). First, we conducted 1) interviews with children with ADHD and their care ecosystem followed by 2) a co-design pilot with one child with ADHD and his therapists and an interview with a UX designer and an occupational therapist. We then employed 3) co-design sessions with neurotypical children and children with ADHD, and 4) a focus group with their therapists. We identified communication and reflection as key concepts for empowering and promoting the well-being of children with ADHD and their care ecosystem. We contribute design implications for future systems aiming to promote the overall well-being of this population.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581216
In low-and middle-income countries like India, people with severe mental illness (PSMI) rely on their families as a primary source of care, given the lack of support from healthcare systems. The demanding nature of caregiving places significant physical and mental demands on caregivers, who are the primary source of support to PSMI. We explore how caregivers in under-resourced settings can be better supported through everyday digital technologies. We conducted interviews with caregivers (from urban and rural India), as well as workshops with professionals from Indian NGOs that work directly with PSMIs. We found that technology has the potential to (1) provide carer-centred support that empowers carers who experience stigma and issues with existing support networks; (2) provide support for carers to overcome barriers and progress in the recovery of the PSMI. We conclude with design considerations, proposing how an online peer community can leverage carers' expertise to actualise support provision.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580674
Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders following childbirth. Mothers utilize social media and online forums throughout postpartum to seek mental health support. In this paper, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of the topics of naturally occurring online discussions and the online social support dynamics associated with PPD. We qualitatively analyze posts and comments from three postpartum depression support communities corresponding to well-known online social platforms (Reddit, What to expect, and BabyCenter). We discovered that the three communities share common themes of discussion that include the causes, stressors, symptoms, and coping mechanisms for PPD. Seeking both informational and emotional support through venting and storytelling was prevalent, and emotional support seeking was more common in Reddit in than the other two communities. We provide recommendations for future postpartum depression research and design considerations based on pervasive help-seeking approaches.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3581311
Peer-support has long been recognized as valuable for mental health, and has been commonly practiced online over the Internet. However, it is often reported that peer exchange online can have harmful effects, and there has been limited research on how to ensure its effectiveness and safety. Our ethnographic study of formalized mental health peer-support practices in Scotland uncovers the infrastructural work involved when setting up and managing conditions upon which peer-support can take place in an effective and safe way. We illustrate that peer-support for mental health is not only about bringing peers together to interact with each other, but also about ensuring availability, timeliness, proactive care, positivity and safety of peer-support as a service, by weaving various social, spatial and technical elements together and managing groups and their boundaries. Our findings illuminate the work behind these peer-support practices, and suggest design implications.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580657
Fearing stigma, parents often hide their children’s HIV diagnosis from them, and postpone disclosure, in turn negatively impacting children’s well-being. Our work explores whether interactive technology can support disclosure. In the first study, we examine disclosure experiences and the role of interactive technology from the perspective of HIV-positive children and parents. Through Thematic Analysis, we highlight how disclosure is linked with parents’ own experience of HIV, and that disclosure needs to be viewed as a process. On this basis, we contribute an experience prototype that guides parents through an incremental disclosure process using interactive storytelling. In a second study, we evaluate the prototype through interviews with six parents. Leveraging Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, we show that the prototype has potential to transform how parents understand and approach disclosure. Based on our results, we present further design directions, and discuss the (limitations of the) role that technology can play in this context.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3544548.3580756