None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of this study is to investigate whether it is feasible and acceptable to deliver Cognitive-Behavioural Stress Management (CBSM) therapy through an online digital human (DH) within breast cancer patient populations post-active treatment. This research would involve both patients and healthcare professionals to gather both perspectives.
Interventions
CBSM:
Participants will complete one module of Cognitive Behavioural Stress Management (CBSM; Antoni, 2003) Therapy delivered by a digital human. This module will take place at the University of Auckland Clinical Research Centre. Participants will complete this module of CBSM in a private room on a secure University computer screen. This CBSM session includes psychoeducation surrounding the effects of stress on the body and mind, and involves learning a stress management technique: deep breathin
CBSM: Participants will complete one module of Cognitive Behavioural Stress Management (CBSM; Antoni, 2003) Therapy delivered by a digital human. This module will take place at the University of Auckland Clinical Research Centre. Participants will complete this module of CBSM in a private room on a secure University computer screen. This CBSM session includes psychoeducation surrounding the effects of stress on the body and mind, and involves learning a stress management technique: deep breathing. The digital human uses a conversational engine (IBM Watson Agent) to power her conversation flows. The CBSM module is developed from Antoni’s (2000) manual for CBSM in breast cancer patients. The digital human is called Rosie, delivering this module of CBSM therapy via a computer screen. Rosie, the digital human being used in this study was modelled to be a female adult providing relatability to the target population. Rosie is presented wearing a white T-shirt and upon a lightly pink background, so her face and communication abilities are of central focus on the screen. During sessions, her natural body movements are paired with natural facial expressions, depending on the topic of conversation and in response to the user’s expression. Text-to-speech Emotional Markup Language (EML; Sagar et al., 2014; Sagar et al., 2016) is utilised to allow Rosie to display certain facial expressions, such as a smile, when she mentioned certain phrases or words, such as affirmative statements. Her voice was programmed to have an Australian ‘Neural’ accent, with natural inclinations and pronunciation used within New Zealand society, making her more applicable to the target population. Participants will verbally or text to communicate with the digital human Rosie. The session will last for a duration of approximately 60-minutes, with the natural conversation/session length becoming a marker for intervention adherence.
Sponsors
University of Auckland
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Participants will either be a women who has experienced breast cancer a minimum of two years prior to the study start date, or a healthcare provider working within cancer-related or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) related spaces. Key Inclusion Criteria for Group one (BCp): Group one (BCp) will consist of females aged 18 years or older who have finished active treatment for breast cancer a minimum of two years prior to the study start date. Participants must be fluent in English and comfortable using a computer. Key Inclusion Criteria for Group two (HCp): Participant group two (HCp) will consist of healthcare providers aged 18 years or older working within cancer-related and/or CBT spaces. Participants must be fluent in English and comfortable using a computer. Can be male of female.
Exclusion criteria
Participants will be excluded from participation if they do not meet the above inclusion criteria or are not willing to participate.
Outcome results
None listed