Potential Applications of Social Robots in Robot-Assisted Interventions for Social Anxiety

Abstract

Social anxiety disorder or social phobia is a condition characterized by debilitating fear and avoidance of different social situations. We provide an overview of social anxiety and evidence-based behavioural and cognitive treatment approaches for this condition. However, treatment avoidance and attrition are high in this clinical population, which calls for innovative approaches, including computer-based interventions, that could minimize barriers to treatment and enhance treatment effectiveness. After reviewing existing assistive technologies for mental health interventions, we provide an overview of how social robots have been used in many clinical interventions. We then propose to integrate social robots in conventional behavioural and cognitive therapies for both children and adults who struggle with social anxiety. We categorize the different therapeutic roles that social robots can potentially play in activities rooted in conventional therapies for social anxiety and oriented towards symptom reduction, social skills development, and improvement in overall quality of life. We discuss possible applications of robots in this context through four scenarios. These scenarios are meant as ‘food for thought’ for the research community which we hope will inspire future research. We discuss risks and concerns for using social robots in clinical practice. This article concludes by highlighting the potential advantages as well as limitations of integrating social robots in conventional interventions to improve accessibility and standard of care as well as outlining future steps in relation to this research direction. Clearly recognizing the need for future empirical work in this area, we propose that social robots may be an effective component in robot-assisted interventions for social anxiety, not replacing, but complementing the work of clinicians. We hope that this article will spark new research, and research collaborations in the highly interdisciplinary field of robot-assisted interventions for social anxiety.

A Pediatric Patient With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Comorbid Compulsive Behaviors Treated With Robot-Assisted Relaxation: A Case Report

“…The incorporation of interactive social robots as social mediators, instructors, or screening agents is a work that is still in progress and there is a great interest in integrating evidence-based treatment techniques. For instance, a recent publication proposes robot-based therapeutic scenarios for social anxiety disorders to inspire future empirical work [ 20 ]. Nonetheless, further research is needed to demonstrate the reliability and consistent efficacy of such intervention protocols.…”

A study on the effects of perceived playfulness and emotional support in interactive learning environments for German language acquisition—A role-playing library system case

“…This discovery offers a new way for the creation of a human-computer interactive learning environment. Furthermore, the ability to converse and exchange with avatars may even be beneficial for reducing social anxiety ( Rasouli et al, 2022 ). Based on this information, it may be concluded that the use of virtual characters’ emotional support as a means of assisting students’ learning may actually contribute to the development of their social skills, such as their ability to communicate and interact with others.…”

Human-Robot Relationship: long-term effects on disclosure, perception and well-being

“…For example, a previous study by Nomura and colleagues [54] showed the benefits of employing social robots for minimising social tensions and anxieties, describing that participants with higher social anxiety tended to feel less anxious and demonstrate lower tensions when knowing that they would interact with robots in opposition to humans. In fact, a recent paper [55] stresses the benefits of employing social robots as interventions for social anxiety, stating that these could complement the support provided by clinicians. The authors explain that social robots could support people to get into therapy and maximize the effectiveness of the therapy by increasing the patients' engagement and continuing the support outside the therapy session.…”