(PS8-B30) Leveraging Technology to Capture Adult-child Interactions in Formal and Informal Spaces: A Systematic Review

Introduction. Much research has sought to understand caregiver-child interactions as a key intervention for children with a variety of mental health problems (e.g., ADHD). However, clinicians rely on self-report instruments and structured clinic observations to assess for parent-child coercive cycles that often accompany children with certain mental health challenges. These data collection methods lack ecological validity (Mehl et al., 2014) and has the potential for response bias, recall bias, and observer bias. The use of wearable recording devices has been piloted for recording a variety of activities and has the potential to be applied to clinical assessment and intervention. We conducted a systematic review to summarize the available research on how research has used wearable technology as a measurement technique for capturing authentic interactions. Methods. The literature review for this study included papers published up until 2022 from electronic databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, and PsychInfo that incorporated wearable technology as a measurement tool. The eligibility criteria that were used for this review included research involving adult-child interactions with children 2-18 years old. To encompass a broad application of wearable technology, there were no restrictions on child’s diagnosis, the intervention used, setting, or study design. A total of 524 papers were identified. Results. Age at which these technological methods were used was skewed toward younger participants with 79% of the research being conducted with children 5 years old or younger. The racial makeup of study participants across studies revealed the majority of white samples (71% of the research participants). An equal number of studies utilized wearable devices for medical conditions (28% of studies) and psychological conditions (27.8% of studies). Lastly, the majority of studies (79%) used the technology for measurement or assessment purposes whereas the remainder of studies used the wearables for treatment or intervention. Discussion. These results demonstrate significant gaps in the research and opportunities to further explore ways in which wearable technology can improve support related to adult-child interactions particularly among children older than 5 and among ethnically and racially diverse caregivers. Although the practicality of wearable technology as a measurement and assessment tool among certain mental health conditions (e.g., Autism), no research has assessed using wearable technology with families with children with behavior problems such as ADHD. The flexibility that wearable technologies offer to capture naturalistic interactions, may provide a deeper understanding that better informs interventions and treatment for caregiver-child coercive processes.