Open AccessDigital Technologies for Emotion-Regulation Assessment and Intervention: A Conceptual Review
Author(s) -
Alexandra H. Bettis,
Taylor A. Burke,
Jacqueline Nesi,
Richard T. Liu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical psychological science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.74
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 2167-7034
pISSN - 2167-7026
DOI - 10.1177/21677026211011982
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , psychology , psychological intervention , wearable computer , mental health , conceptual framework , applied psychology , computer science , sociology , paleontology , social science , psychiatry , biology , embedded system , psychotherapist
The ability to regulate emotions in response to stress is central to healthy development. While early research in emotion regulation predominantly employed static, self-report measurement, the past decade has seen a shift in focus toward understanding the dynamic nature of regulation processes. This is reflected in recent refinements in the definition of emotion regulation, which emphasize the importance of the ability to flexibly adapt regulation efforts across contexts. The latest proliferation of digital technologies employed in mental health research offers the opportunity to capture the state- and context-sensitive nature of emotion regulation. In this conceptual review, we examine the use of digital technologies (ecological momentary assessment; wearable and smartphone technology, physical activity, acoustic data, visual data, and geo-location; smart home technology; virtual reality; social media) in the assessment of emotion regulation and describe their application to interventions. We also discuss challenges and ethical considerations, and outline areas for future research.