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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
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Reducing negative emotions in children using social robots: systematic review.
Brenda Kimbembi Maleco Littler1, Tourkiah Alessa2,3, Paul Dimitri4
1The School of Health and Related Research, Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare (C.A.T.C.H), The University of Sheffield Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health, Sheffield, UK bkmaleco1@sheffield.ac.uk.
Archives of Disease in Childhood
|March 9, 2021
Summary
Social robots show promise in reducing hospital-related anxiety for children. This systematic review found that interacting with social robots decreased anxiety and distress in pediatric patients during clinical visits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare technology
- Human-robot interaction
- Child psychology
Background:
- Hospital visits can cause significant anxiety in children.
- Social robots offer a novel approach to mitigate this distress.
- These robots engage children through movement, music, and speech.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the types of social robots used with children in hospital settings.
- To assess the impact of social robots on children's anxiety and distress levels.
- To evaluate evidence for social robots in outpatient and inpatient pediatric care.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, PsychINFO, Google Scholar).
- Studies published between January 2009 and August 2020 were included.
- The review focused on research involving social robots interacting with children in clinical environments.
Main Results:
- Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, utilizing seven distinct types of social robots.
- Children who interacted with social robots demonstrated reduced levels of anxiety and distress.
- The findings indicate a positive effect of social robot interaction on pediatric patients' emotional state.
Conclusions:
- Social robots present a promising tool for alleviating anxiety in pediatric hospital patients.
- Current research on social robots in pediatric healthcare is nascent.
- Further studies are necessary to solidify the evidence base for their efficacy.
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