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.

中文翻译：

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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队列的比较研究


目的： 社交辅助机器人 （SARs） 与积极的情感支持结果有关。本研究进一步研究了老年人在 COVID-19 大流行之前和期间从 SAR 寻求的支持类型。方法：共招募了 188 名参与者，其中 101 名参与者在大流行前队列中，87 名在大流行期间队列中。通过网络监控系统收集了 240 多天的 SAR 使用数据，并进行了面对面的访谈。结果：在大流行之前，SAR 的内容交付是主要的参与形式。在大流行期间，老年人越来越多地寻求 SAR 的互动情感支持。虽然两个队列都显示抑郁症状显着减轻，但大流行前代表更大的减少，平均下降 7.14 分。讨论：研究结果强调了精心设计的 SAR 在提供情感支持和缓解抑郁症状方面的潜力。建议进一步研究以优化 SAR 功能以满足不同的情感和社会需求。