Impact of Socially Assistive Robots on Geriatric Depression: A Comparative Study of Pre- and During-Pandemic Cohorts

IF 1.5 4区社会学 Q1 SOCIAL WORK

Research on Social Work Practice Pub Date : 2025-04-11 DOI:10.1177/10497315251331847

Othelia EunKyoung Lee, Sojeong Baek, Junsik Lee, Do-Hyung Park

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: Socially assistive robots (SARs) have been associated with positive emotional support outcomes. This study further examines the types of support sought by older adults from SARs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A total of 188 participants were recruited, with 101 individuals in the Pre-Pandemic cohort and 87 in the During-Pandemic cohort. Usage data from SARs was collected over 240 days through web-monitoring systems, and face-to-face interviews were conducted. Results: Before the pandemic, content delivery by SARs was the predominant form of engagement. During the pandemic, older adults increasingly sought interactive emotional support from SARs. While both cohorts demonstrated a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, Pre-Pandemic represented larger reduction with a mean decrease of 7.14 points. Discussion: The findings highlight the potential of well-designed SARs to provide emotional support and mitigate depressive symptoms. Further research is recommended to optimize SAR functionalities for diverse emotional and social needs.

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社交辅助机器人对老年抑郁症的影响：大流行前和大流行期间的比较研究

目的：社交辅助机器人（SAR）与积极的情感支持结果有关。本研究进一步探讨了在 COVID-19 大流行之前和期间，老年人从 SAR 寻求支持的类型。研究方法共招募了 188 名参与者，其中 101 人属于大流行前队列，87 人属于大流行期间队列。在 240 天内，通过网络监控系统收集了特区的使用数据，并进行了面对面的访谈。研究结果在大流行之前，SARs 提供的内容是最主要的参与形式。在大流行期间，老年人越来越多地寻求特区的互动情感支持。虽然两个组群的抑郁症状都有显著减少，但大流行前的减少幅度更大，平均减少了 7.14 个点。讨论研究结果凸显了设计良好的 SAR 在提供情感支持和减轻抑郁症状方面的潜力。建议进一步开展研究，以优化 SAR 的功能，满足不同的情感和社交需求。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Research on Social Work Practice SOCIAL WORK-

CiteScore

3.50

自引率

11.10%

发文量

105

期刊介绍： Research on Social Work Practice, sponsored by the Society for Social Work and Research, is a disciplinary journal devoted to the publication of empirical research concerning the methods and outcomes of social work practice. Social work practice is broadly interpreted to refer to the application of intentionally designed social work intervention programs to problems of societal and/or interpersonal importance, including behavior analysis or psychotherapy involving individuals; case management; practice involving couples, families, and small groups; community practice education; and the development, implementation, and evaluation of social policies.