Purpose

This review scopes evidence on the use of social robots for older adults with depressive symptoms, in the scenario of smart cities, analyzing the age-related depression specificities, investigated contexts and intervention protocols' features.

Design/methodology/approach

Studies retrieved from two major databases were selected against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies were included if used social robots, included older adults over 60, and reported depressive symptoms measurements, with any type of research design. Papers not published in English, published as an abstract or study protocol, or not peer-reviewed were excluded.

Findings

28 relevant studies were included, in which PARO was the most used robot. Most studies included very older adults with neurocognitive disorders living in long-term care facilities. The intervention protocols were heterogeneous regarding the duration, session duration and frequency. Only 35.6% of the studies had a control group. Finally, only 32.1% of the studies showed a significant improvement in depression symptoms.

Originality/value

Despite the potential for using social robots in mental health interventions, in the scenario of smart cities, this review showed that their usefulness and effects in improving depressive symptoms in older adults have low internal and external validity. Future studies should consider factors as planning the intervention based on well-established supported therapies, characteristics and needs of the subjects, and the context in which the subjects are inserted.

中文翻译：

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社交机器人对老年人抑郁症状的影响：范围界定审查

目的

本综述涵盖了在智慧城市的场景中为患有抑郁症状的老年人使用社交机器人的证据，分析了与年龄相关的抑郁症的特异性、调查的背景和干预方案的特征。

设计/方法/途径

根据纳入和排除标准选择从两个主要数据库检索的研究。如果使用社交机器人，研究包括 60 岁以上的老年人，并报告抑郁症状测量，具有任何类型的研究设计。未以英文发表、作为摘要或研究方案发表或未经过同行评审的论文被排除在外。

发现

纳入了 28 项相关研究，其中 PARO 是使用最多的机器人。大多数研究包括生活在长期护理机构中的患有神经认知障碍的非常年长的成年人。干预方案在持续时间、会话持续时间和频率方面存在异质性。只有 35.6% 的研究有对照组。最后，只有 32.1% 的研究显示抑郁症状有显着改善。

原创性/价值

尽管有可能在心理健康干预中使用社交机器人，但在智慧城市的情况下，这篇综述表明，它们在改善老年人抑郁症状方面的作用和效果具有较低的内部和外部有效性。未来的研究应考虑因素，如根据行之有效的支持疗法、受试者的特征和需求以及受试者所处的背景来规划干预。