Surveillance of human-computer interactions: A way forward to detection of users´ Psychological Distress

Even today, computer systems are unable to challenge the superiority of humans in their intuitive ability to express, experience, and understand emotions of own-self and others. Computers do not extend emotional support as another human would do. But, Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) technologies and electronic media have significantly altered the sense of `Social Interaction´ of humans during last two decades. Now people physically contact computers more than contacting humans. Therefore, it is important to explore how we can use the same medium to enhance individuals´ emotional intelligence and regulate unhealthy affective dispositions. During our preliminary study, the sample of undergraduates from two state sector universities in Sri Lanka revealed that the way they work with computer is influenced by the stress at the time. They reported that mostly frequented behaviors include logging in to social networking sites, making typing errors, checking emails, scroll window up and down, and switching between tasks. In this work we will explore a suitable affect sensing model into which these behavioral parameters can be mapped. We propose a software framework to monitor the parameters, analyze them and to support users to recognize how they feel, manage the feelings better, and to encourage them to seek help if they run a risk of getting into a mental health problem.