Computer scientists at Microsoft Research and the University of California, San Diego have developed the system that delivers research-based strategies to help decrease stress in parents during emotionally charged interactions with their children.

The system, called ParentGuardian, was initially tested on a small group of parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The system is the first to detect stress and present interventions in real-time.

It combines a sensor worn on the wrist with a smart phone and tablet, and a server to analyze data from the sensor.

The interventions are based on Parenting Behavioural Therapy, which has been shown to be effective in addressing the needs of children with ADHD and their parents.



But sticking with the therapy is difficult, especially during times of the day that are particularly stressful.


Pina worked with 10 parents over 3 months to design ParentGuardian. Parents used the prototype at home for 14 days and wore the stress monitors every day between 6 pm and 10 pm - a time of peak stress when they were juggling homework, making dinner and assisting their children's other activities.




The wrist sensor measures electrical activity on the user's skin. When users experience positive or negative feelings, they secrete very small quantities of sweat, which changes the amount of electricity their skin conducts.



Researchers then compared the data from the sensors with the users' self-reports about stress to train a machine learning algorithm to detect the stress events in real-time.
