Social Robot Interventions in Mental Health Care and Their Outcomes, Barriers, and Facilitators: Scoping Review

Abstract

Background The use of social robots as innovative therapeutic tools has been increasingly explored in recent years in an effort to address the growing need for alternative intervention modalities in mental health care. Objective The aim of this scoping review was to identify and describe social robot interventions in mental health facilities and to highlight their outcomes as well as the barriers and facilitators to their implementation. Methods A scoping review of the literature published since 2015 was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. The MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycINFO databases were searched, and 2239 papers were retrieved. The papers included were primary empirical studies published in peer-reviewed literature. Eligible studies were set in mental health facilities and they included participants with a known mental health disorder. The methodological quality of the included papers was also assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results A total of 30 papers met the eligibility criteria for this review. Studies involved participants with dementia, cognitive impairment, schizophrenia, depression, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and an intellectual disability. The outcomes studied included engagement, social interaction, emotional state, agitation, behavior, and quality of life. Conclusions The methodological weaknesses of the studies conducted this far and the lack of diversity in the conditions studied limit the generalizability of the results. However, despite the presence of certain barriers to their implementation (eg, technical problems, unsuitable environment, staff resistance), social robot interventions generally show positive effects on patients with mental health disorders. Studies of stronger methodological quality are needed to further understand the benefits and the place of social robots in mental health care.

Immersive robotic telepresence system to support a person with intellectual and motor disabilities perform a daily task: a case study

“…Belpaeme et al, 2018) scenarios. Engagement in an educational or training activity is a fundamental prerequisite for learning (Iovannone et al, 2003), and social robots in animal or humanoid forms are currently considered an effective strategy to heighten attentional resources and participation of children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders (Guemghar et al, 2022Hughes-Roberts et al, 2019, including autism (Rabbitt et al, 2015). Humanoid robots, in particular, such as the NAO used in the current study, are robots that look like and behave like humans and are especially useful in interventions involving autistic children when it is needed to mimic full body cues (e.g.…”

“…Engagement in an educational or training activity is a fundamental prerequisite for learning (Iovannone et al. , 2003), and social robots in animal or humanoid forms are currently considered an effective strategy to heighten attentional resources and participation of children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders (Guemghar et al. , 2022 Hughes-Roberts et al.…”

Supporting Remote Social Robot Design Collaboration with Online Canvases: Lessons Learned from Facilitators’ and Participants’ Experiences

“…Social robots are considered and already used for various purposes in society, including education [ 1 ] and healthcare [ 2 ]. According to a commonly used definition, a social robot can be defined as “ an autonomous or semi-autonomous robot that interacts and communicates with humans by following the behavioral norms expected by the people with whom the robot is intended to interact ” [ 3 ].…”

Soziale Roboter im Schweizer Gesundheitswesen – Einsatzmöglichkeiten, Chancen und Risiken aus der Sicht von potenziellen Anwendergruppen

“…Auch für die psychische Gesundheit wurden Einsätze von sozialen Robotern geprüft und es wurden im Allgemeinen positive Effekte gefunden, allerdings handelt es sich hier überwiegend um Studien mit eingeschränkter Aussagekraft (Guemghar et al. 2022 ).…”