Mental stress and its increase in recent years must increasingly be understood in the context of multiple crises such as the pandemic, war and climate crisis. Families with young children in particular report increased parental stress, a higher incidence of violence

The aim of the STARK project is to develop and test an interactive digital and immersive technology, based on evidence-based methods for the treatment of depressive disorders, for children aged 9-12 years as a low-threshold and quickly available initial intervention over 12 weeks, which can bridge the waiting time for a therapy place as part of a stepped-care approach. To this end, STARK develops the therapeutic approaches of (a) understanding the emotional triangle, (b) recognising, naming and regulating feelings, (c) activating resources and (d) building positive activities.

The STARK system aims to provide children with multisensory (auditory, visual, haptic) support in dealing with emotions by combining mixed reality technologies with gamification approaches. In addition to child-centred content, parent-centred modules are also to be developed in order to take into account the relevance of the psychosocial environment.