Emotional needs for smart products: a case study of older people living alone in Chengdu, China.

IF 2.6 3区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Frontiers in Psychology Pub Date : 2025-05-26 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1584543

Liu Yun, Rosalam Che Me, Irwan Syah Md Yusoff

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Older people living alone (OPLA) face significant challenges in maintaining emotional well-being, especially in the context of rapid urbanization and social change. Smart products are increasingly viewed as promising tools to support healthy and independent aging. This study explores the emotional needs of urban OPLA in Chengdu, China, and examines their perceptions and use of smart products as emotional support tools. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 OPLA aged 60 and above. Thematic analysis revealed three key themes: (A) Emotional well-being of OPLA due to living alone, (B) Efforts to satisfy emotional needs, and (C) The use of smart products to satisfy emotional needs. While many older adults adopt self-regulatory strategies and express interest in technology, low motivation and usability barriers hinder their engagement with smart products. This study highlights the need for emotionally responsive, user-friendly, and culturally attuned smart technologies. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights into promoting smart aging through inclusive design and inform policies aimed at improving emotional well-being among older adults living alone.

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智能产品的情感需求：以中国成都独居老人为例

独居老年人在保持情感健康方面面临着重大挑战，特别是在快速城市化和社会变革的背景下。智能产品越来越被视为支持健康和独立老龄化的有前途的工具。本研究探讨了成都城市oppla的情感需求，并考察了他们对智能产品作为情感支持工具的认知和使用情况。本研究采用质性方法，对20名60岁或以上的在职人员进行深入访谈。主题分析揭示了三个关键主题：(A)独居导致的oppla情感幸福感；(B)满足情感需求的努力；(C)使用智能产品满足情感需求。虽然许多老年人采取自我调节策略，并对技术表现出兴趣，但低动机和可用性障碍阻碍了他们与智能产品的接触。这项研究强调了对情感敏感、用户友好、与文化相适应的智能技术的需求。研究结果为通过包容性设计促进智能老龄化提供了理论和实践见解，并为旨在改善独居老年人情绪健康的政策提供了信息。

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

Frontiers in Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

13.20%

发文量

7396

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Psychology is the largest journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research across the psychological sciences, from clinical research to cognitive science, from perception to consciousness, from imaging studies to human factors, and from animal cognition to social psychology. Field Chief Editor Axel Cleeremans at the Free University of Brussels is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide. The journal publishes the best research across the entire field of psychology. Today, psychological science is becoming increasingly important at all levels of society, from the treatment of clinical disorders to our basic understanding of how the mind works. It is highly interdisciplinary, borrowing questions from philosophy, methods from neuroscience and insights from clinical practice - all in the goal of furthering our grasp of human nature and society, as well as our ability to develop new intervention methods.