Analysis of User Participation Patterns and Emotional Characteristics of an Avatar-Based Mindfulness Platform

doi:10.22716/sckt.2026.14.2.003

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2026 Vol.14, Issue 2 Preview Page Next Page

Research Article

Analysis of User Participation Patterns and Emotional Characteristics of an Avatar-Based Mindfulness Platform 아바타 기반 마음돌봄 플랫폼의 이용자 참여 양상 및 정서 특성 분석: Dongha Kim¹, Minyoung Kang¹, Ain Choi¹, and Hanjin Lee²
김동하¹, 강민영¹, 최아인¹, 이한진²; ¹Research Assistant, Handong Global University
²Assistant Professor, School of Creative Convergence Education, Handong Global University

¹한동대학교 학부생 연구원, ²한동대학교 창의융합교육원 조교수

30 June 2026. pp. 25-40

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Abstract

포스트 코로나 시대를 거치며 아동·청소년의 비대면 심리 지원 필요성이 꾸준히 증가하고 있으나, 기존의 대면 중심 상담이나 단순 화상 회기는 정서적 개방을 이끄는 데 한계점이 있다. 이에 본 연구는 아바타 소통 플랫폼 기반 마음돌봄 프로그램에서 나타난 아동의 정서적 특성과 참여 양상을 체계적으로 분석하였다. 지역아동센터 아동 18명을 대상으로 마음돌봄 일지를 분석한 결과, 참여자들은 초기 ‘몰라요’ 등 방어적 태도를 보였으나 아바타 이동조작과 시각 도구를 통해 신속히 정서적 이완을 경험하였다. 특히 세부 연령별 분석 결과, 초등학교 저학년은 놀이 활동을 통한 스트레스 해소, 고학년은 생활습관 성찰 및 자기 조절, 중학생은 가족에 대한 애착과 학업 고민 등 발달 단계에 따라 고민의 주제와 자기표현의 깊이가 뚜렷한 차이를 보이며 전이되는 양상을 확인하였다. 나아가 가상공간은 현실에서 억압된 강렬한 분노와 부정적 감정을 안전하게 분출하고 정화하는 통로가 되었다. 본 연구의 결과는 가상융합환경 플랫폼이 단순한 도구를 넘어 아동의 심리적 장벽을 낮추는 핵심 기제임을 시사하며, 발달 단계별 특성에 맞춘 유효한 심리 지원 체계임을 확인하고 실제적인 정서지원 전략을 제시하는 데 의의가 있다.

As the need for non-face-to-face psychological support for children and adolescents has surged in the post-pandemic era, traditional in-person counseling or simple video-based sessions have faced limitations in facilitating emotional openness. This study systematically analyzed the emotional characteristics and participation patterns of children in the mindfulness program based on the avatar communication platform. As a result of analyzing 18 children at the local children’s center, the participants showed defensive attitudes such as "I don’t know" in the beginning, but experienced emotional relaxation quickly through avatar movement manipulation and visual tools. In particular, the age-specific analysis revealed a clear differentiation and transition in both the themes of concern and the depth of self-expression according to developmental stages: lower elementary school students focused on stress relief through play, higher elementary students on lifestyle reflection and self-regulation, and middle school students on family attachment and academic concerns. Furthermore, the virtual space became a channel to safely vent and purify intense anger and negative emotions suppressed in reality. These findings suggest that the metaverse platform acts as a core mechanism for lowering psychological barriers rather than merely being a digital tool. This study is meaningful in confirming that the mindfulness program is an effective psychological support system tailored to the characteristics of children’s developmental stages, and suggesting practical emotional support strategies.

Keywords

Mindfulness

Digital Communication

Presence

Emotional Change

Developmental Stage

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References

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J. Lee, T. S. Lee, S. Lee, J. Jang, S. Yoo, Y. Choi, and Y. R. Park, “Development and Application of a Metaverse-Based Social Skills Training Program for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder”, JMIR Research Protocols, Vol. 11, No. 6, e35960, 2022.
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10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705699 34367030 PMC8339462
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조수현, 이성찬, 강지은, Han XinHui, 이상민, “메타버스 플랫폼을 활용한 심리상담 서비스 과정 및 성과 예비 연구”, 교육치료연구, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 287-312, 2022.
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10.1186/s40359-025-03016-0 40598609 PMC12217891

Information

Publisher :The Society of Convergence Knowledge
Publisher(Ko) :융복합지식학회
Journal Title :The Society of Convergence Knowledge Transactions
Journal Title(Ko) :융복합지식학회논문지
Volume : 14
No :2
Pages :25-40
DOI :https://doi.org/10.22716/sckt.2026.14.2.003

[1] OECD. “The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Telemedicine”, OECD Publishing, 2023.

[2] D. Benrimoh, F. D. Chheda, and H. C. Margolese, “The Best Predictor of the Future—the Metaverse, Mental Health, and Lessons Learned From Current Technologies”, JMIR Mental Health, Vol. 9, No. 10, e40410, 2022.
10.2196/40410 36306155 PMC9652728

[3] K. Martinelli, Y. Cohen, H. Kimball, and H. Sheldon-Dean, “Children’s Mental Health Report: Telehealth in an Increasingly Virtual World”, Child Mind Institute, 2020.

[4] UNICEF. “Innocenti-Global Office of Research and Foresight. The Metaverse, Extended Reality (XR) and Children: Rapid Analysis”, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2023.

[5] K. Lee, “Counseling Psychological Understanding and Considerations of the Metaverse: A Theoretical Review”, Healthcare, Vol. 11, No. 18, 2490, 2023.
10.3390/healthcare11182490 37761687 PMC10530550

[6] D. Buragohain, S. Khichar, C. Deng, Y. Meng, and S. Chaudhary, “Analyzing metaverse-based digital therapies, their effectiveness, and potential risks in mental healthcare”, Scientific Reports, Vol. 15, 17066, 2025.
10.1038/s41598-025-00916-4 40379748 PMC12084641

[7] M. T. Akdag and N. Wahl, “Behind the Veil: Exploring Anonymity’s Effect in Emerging Metaverse for Mental Health Therapy”, Proceedings of the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), pp. 1456-1465, 2024.

[8] E. Fernandez, Y. Woldgabreal, A. Day, T. Pham, B. Gleich, and E. Aboujaoude, “Live psychotherapy by video versus in-person: A meta-analysis of efficacy and its relationship to types and targets of treatment”, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 1535-1549, 2021.
10.1002/cpp.2594

[9] S. L. Rogers, A. Pallister, and N. Canes, “Virtual reality for self-disclosure: Comparing user experiences across VR, video and text chat”, Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 2025.
10.1007/s41347-025-00574-3

[10] A. Tabassum, I. Ghaznavi, A. Abd-Alrazaq, and J. Qadir, “Exploring the application of AI and extended reality technologies in metaverse-driven mental health solutions: Scoping review”, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Vol. 27, e72400, 2025.
10.2196/72400 40829151 PMC12405795

[11] J. Ichino, M. Ide, H. Yokoyama, H. Asano, H. Miyachi, and D. Okabe, “I’ve talked without intending to: Self-disclosure and Reciprocity via Embodied Avatars”, Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Vol. 6, No. CSCW2, Article No. 482, pp. 1-23, 2022.
10.1145/3555583

[12] J.-N. Kaiser, S. Kimmel, E. Licht, E. Landwehr, F. Hemmert, and W. Heuten, “Get Real With Me: Effects of Avatar Realism on Social Presence and Comfort in Augmented Reality Remote Collaboration and Self-Disclosure”, Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’25). Article No. 1248, pp. 1-18, 2025.
10.1145/3706598.3713541

[13] S. Cho, J. Kang, W. H. Baek, Y. B. Jeong, S. Lee, and S. M. Lee, “Comparing counseling outcome for college students: Metaverse and in-person approaches”, Psychotherapy Research, Vol. 34, No. 8, pp. 1117-1130, 2024.
10.1080/10503307.2023.2270139

[14] S. Navas-Medrano, J. L. Soler-Dominguez, and P. Pons, “Mixed reality for a collective and adaptive mental health metaverse”, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Vol. 14, 1272783, 2023.
10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1272783 38250268 PMC10796542

[15] I. Park, Y. J. Sah, S. Lee, and D. Lee, “Avatar-mediated communication in video conferencing: Effect of self-affirmation on debating participation focusing on moderation effect of avatar”, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 464-475, 2023.

[16] J. Lee, T. S. Lee, S. Lee, J. Jang, S. Yoo, Y. Choi, and Y. R. Park, “Development and Application of a Metaverse-Based Social Skills Training Program for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder”, JMIR Research Protocols, Vol. 11, No. 6, e35960, 2022.
10.2196/35960 35675112 PMC9218883

[17] T. Lin, S. J. Stone, T. G. Heckman, and T. Anderson, “Zoom-in to zone-out: Therapists report less therapeutic skill in telepsychology versus face-to-face therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic”, Psychotherapy, Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 449-459, 2021.
10.1037/pst0000398

[18] A. A. Kenku, A. M. Tafida, and S. S. Umar, “Ethical Challenges in Tele-therapy: A Modern Perspective”, International Journal for Psychotherapy in Africa, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 35-50, 2025.

[19] V. Békés, K. Aafjes-van Doorn, X. Luo, T. A. Prout, and L. Hoffman, “Psychotherapists’ Challenges With Online Therapy During COVID-19: Concerns About Connectedness Predict Therapists’ Negative View of Online Therapy and Its Perceived Efficacy Over Time”, Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 12, 705699, 2021.
10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705699 34367030 PMC8339462

[20] 김효정, 고소임, 정경진, 현명호, “COVID-19 전후의 비대면 심리상담에 대한 주제 변화”, 한국심리학회지: 건강, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 259-278, 2023.

[21] 유은경, “위드 코로나 시대, 청소년 비대면 상담에 대한 탐색적 연구”, 인문사회21, Vol. 13, No. 6, pp. 2827-2841, 2022.
10.22143/HSS21.13.6.194

[22] 조수현, 이성찬, 강지은, Han XinHui, 이상민, “메타버스 플랫폼을 활용한 심리상담 서비스 과정 및 성과 예비 연구”, 교육치료연구, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 287-312, 2022.

[23] 홍지선, 박은정, 박민선, “코로나19 이후, 비대면 상담에 대한 상담자 경험 연구”, 상담심리교육복지, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 21-50, 2021.
10.38176/PublicLaw.2021.10.50.1.367

[24] 이윤희, 김지연, “상담자의 비대면 심리상담 경험에 관한 질적 메타요약”, 상담학연구, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 25-54, 2025.

[25] 이윤희, 김경민, 이상민, “비대면 상담 윤리강령 기초 연구”, 상담학연구, Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 77-106, 2021.

[26] 조옥희, “심리치료 시스템으로써 가상현실의 현황과 전망 연구”, 미래사회, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 1-14, 2020.

[27] 허묘연, “메타버스를 이용한 상담실습 효과성 검증”, 미래사회, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 57-69, 2024.

[28] 김민지, 금선영, “실시간 비대면 학업 상담을 위한 메타버스 공간 개발”, 교육정보미디어연구, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 1357-1376, 2024.

[29] 오세현, 남현우, 김태윤, “비대면 부모자녀관계 게임놀이치료 프로그램 효과 연구”, 한국영유아보육학, Vol. 141, pp. 165-196, 2023.
10.37918/kce.2023.7.141.165

[30] 이한진, 김병철, 김동하, 박경훈, “메타버스 마음돌봄 환경이 아동 정서 및 참여도에 미치는 영향: MetaForest 프로그램 사례연구”, 융복합지식학회논문지, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 113-124, 2025.

[31] 이한진, 구현희, “메타버스 플랫폼 사용성 평가체계 구축에 관한 델파이연구 - 로블록스, 제페토, 게더타운 사례를 중심으로”, 한국콘텐츠학회 논문지, Vol. 22, No. 9, pp. 179-193, 2022.

[32] J. He, Q. Wang, and H. Lee, “Enhancing online learning engagement: teacher support, psychological needs satisfaction and interaction”, BMC Psychology, Vol. 13, No. 696, 2025.
10.1186/s40359-025-03016-0 40598609 PMC12217891

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