Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jan 11, 2019
Date Accepted: Jun 3, 2019
Use of Social Robots in Mental Health & Well-Being Research: A Systematic Review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Technology-assisted clinical interventions are increasingly common in the healthcare field because of their ability to improve access to needed care, the outcomes of treatment, and overall cost-effectiveness of care. Current technology platforms delivering interventions are largely mobile apps and online websites, although efforts have been made to create more personalized and embodied technology experiences. To extend and improve on these platforms, the field of robotics has been increasingly included in conversations of how to deliver technology-assisted, interactive, and responsive mental health and psychological well-being interventions. Socially assistive robots (SARs) are clinical tools that can be used in a wide range of healthcare settings to facilitate meaningful engagement in care, better treatment and functional outcomes, and improved social engagement. However, little is known about the utility of using SARs in mental health interventions.
Objective:
The review synthesizes and describes the nascent empirical literature of SARs in mental health research, and identifies strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement in future research and practice.
Methods:
Searches in MedLine, psychINFO, psychARTICLES, pubmed, and IEEExplore yielded 12 studies included in the final review after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Abstract and full text reviews were conducted by two authors independently.
Results:
This systematic review of the literature found four distinct SARs used in research to affect mental health outcomes. Research on mental health applications of SARs focuses largely on elderly dementia patients and relies on usability pilot data with methodological limitations.
Conclusions:
The current SARs research for mental health usage is limited in generalizability, scope, and measurement of psychological outcomes. Opportunities for expansion of research in this area include diversifying populations studied, SARs utilized, clinical applications, measures used and settings for those applications. Clinical Trial: not applicable
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