StopMiedo: a technology-assisted intervention system for the treatment of amaxophobia

Sergio González-Velázquez; Ana I. Molina; Iván González; Carmen Lacave; Tania Mondéjar; Chris Nugent

doi:10.1007/s10209-026-01312-z

StopMiedo: a technology-assisted intervention system for the treatment of amaxophobia

Sergio González-Velázquez
, Ana I. Molina
, Iván González
, Carmen Lacave
, Tania Mondéjar
, Chris Nugent

Castilla La Mancha University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

This paper presents a technological tool, based on systematic desensitization therapy, to help patients gradually overcome fear and anxiety while driving. By using this therapeutic approach, the person who suffers from amaxophobia will be instructed to be gradually in vivo exposed to several feared situations, reducing the anxiety associated with these triggers. The proposed system consists of a smartphone-based client application that includes a conversational user interface to guide the patient during the early stages of the therapy, it also combines geolocation and sensor data fusion to automatically detect risky events while driving and to monitor the patient’s underlying physiologic status. The preliminary evaluation by therapists has provided good and promising results. The potential benefits of using this tool are discussed.

Original language	English
Article number	66
Pages (from-to)	1-36
Number of pages	36
Journal	Universal Access in the Information Society
Volume	25
Issue number	2
Early online date	15 Apr 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-026-01312-z
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 15 Apr 2026

Bibliographical note

Funding

Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work has been developed and funded in the framework of the FRAWA Project (Ref. SBPLY/21/180501/000244) funded by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The authors would also like to thank the “Plan Propio de Investigación” 2020/541A program (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain), cofounded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, EU); and the grants for stays in foreign Universities and Research Centers (ID: 660787) for the academic year 2023 (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) for their financial support. Open Access funding provided by Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha.

Keywords

Amaxophobia
Systematic desensitization
Mobile computing
Psychology
Technology-assisted intervention

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10209_2026_Article_1312.pdfFinal published version, 5.29 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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StopMiedo: a technology-assisted intervention system for the treatment of amaxophobia

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

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