On 5 and 6 February 2026, I attended the Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap in Papendal, Arnhem, the annual conference for communication researchers in the Netherlands and Flanders. The conference brought together scholars from across the field to share and discuss the latest research.

During the conference, I presented our study, Understanding Adolescents’ Needs and Preferences in Social Robot Support for Mood Disorders: A Mixed-Methods Focus Group Study. In this work, we explored how adolescents perceive social robots as a potential source of support for mood-related challenges and identified key preferences regarding robot design, communication, and supportive functions.