Positive Cognitive Restructuring Through an App Based on Context Messages

Abstract

Chronic pain is a very common problem worldwide and helping people coping with it is fundamental for improving their quality of life. Since smartphones are available anywhere and anytime for all users, the present work proposes the development of an App that helps users to change their mood when facing low back and cervical pain. The App will drive the user thorough several screens that will help him or her to challenge their negative thoughts for more positive ones. This process will be driven thorough some messages and questions proposed by reserachers with expertise on health and pain management, but also thorough messages and questions proposed by users themselves. The main contributions of this work are: 1) using an App to face pain thorugh a process of cognitive restructuring; and 2) sending messages and questions based on the context of the user, by taking into account his or her previous answers, the environment and time of the day.