Background

Many children suffer from long-term conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, and allergies. Management of such chronic illnesses can place a large psychological burden on both the children and their families. Children may experience various forms of emotional distress including anxiety and depression. Often, however, the child's emotional needs are overlooked, particularly in medical settings dominated primarily by medical doctors. Emotional distress can be particularly problematic for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, partly due to lower rates of access to mental health services. Our programme, currently being developed at our Research Centre in Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, will be the first in the UK and Europe to use advanced humanoid robots to improve the emotional well-being of children diagnosed with chronic conditions, such as type 1 diabetes. The children will be supported by a diverse team of research psychologists.