Depression - Major Depressive Disorder, Loneliness, Well-Being, Psychological
Conditions
Keywords
Social isolation, socially assistive robots, loneliness, depression, self-agency, well-being
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of a personalized, co-designed robot interaction against a standardized, fixed robot interaction for reducing loneliness, depression, as well as improving self-agency and quality of life in older adults. This is a three-arm randomized controlled trial. The study will be conducted at a community center in Fuzhou, China, with 100 participants aged 65+ recruited from the facility. The participants will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) Co-designed robot (CL) group receiving a personalized robot interaction with a structured co-design ceremony; (2) Standard robot (SL) group interacting with an identical robot without personalization features; or (3) An attention-controlled usual care (CU) group. The intervention comprises 16 sessions (two weekly 20-minute sessions over eight weeks). The primary outcomes are loneliness and depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes include general self-efficacy, quality of life, as well as staff and participants' perceptions of the robot. Mechanism measures (i.e., engagement, self-disclosure) and manipulation checks (e.g., perceived personal role) will be employed to elucidate the underlying theoretical pathways. Data will be collected at baseline (T0), after the initial 2-week co-design period (T1), post-intervention (T2, Week 8), and at 1-month (T3) and 3-month (T4) follow-ups.
Interventions
DEVICECo-Design LOVOT Intervention
This arm utilizes the LOVOT robot within a structured protocol designed to foster a unique personal attachment through a co-design ceremony and anthropomorphic framing. Personalization Ritual (Sessions 1-2): A healthcare professional facilitates a multi-phase personalization ceremony. Autonomous Interaction (Sessions 3-16): The personalized LOVOT is placed in the participant's room. The robot consistently uses the participant-chosen voice and eye settings.
DEVICEStandard LOVOT Intervention
This arm uses the identical LOVOT robot for an equivalent duration but deliberately excludes personalization and anthropomorphic framing to isolate the effect of generic robot companionship. Standardized Introduction (Sessions 1-2): A healthcare professional introduces the LOVOT robot with a fixed, generic configuration. Neutral Autonomous Interaction (Sessions 3-16): The standard LOVOT is placed in the participant's room. The robot operates with its default outgoing personality and identical sensors (thermal camera, touch, distance) for safe, autonomous movement and recharging.
Sponsors
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
The inclusion criteria of this program are: (1) being aged 65 or above, (2) living within the elderly community center for at least 1 month, and (3) being capable of interacting with a robot. The participants were not eligible if they were: (1) already engaged in other socially assistive robot programs, (2) diagnosed with severe psychiatric problems, (3) bed-bound, or (4) living in an area with no Internet coverage.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliness | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 24 weeks | Measure the loneliness of participants at baseline before the intervention (T0), at the end of Week 2 (T1) following the initial interaction period, at the end of Week 8 (T2) upon completion of the core intervention phase, and at Week 12 (T3) and Week 24 (T4) to assess the sustained effects of the intervention. |
| Depression | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 24 weeks. | Depressive Symptoms will be assessed using the Chinese version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) at baseline before the intervention (T0), at the end of Week 2 (T1) following the initial interaction period, at the end of Week 8 (T2) upon completion of the core intervention phase, and at Week 12 (T3) and Week 24 (T4). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Efficacy | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 24 weeks | General Self-Efficacy will be measured by the Chinese version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) at baseline before the intervention (T0), at the end of Week 2 (T1) following the initial interaction period, at the end of Week 8 (T2) upon completion of the core intervention phase, and at Week 12 (T3) and Week 24 (T4). |
| Quality of life and Wellbeing | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 24 weeks | Quality of Life will be evaluated using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index at baseline before the intervention (T0), at the end of Week 2 (T1) following the initial interaction period, at the end of Week 8 (T2) upon completion of the core intervention phase, and at Week 12 (T3) and Week 24 (T4). |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Interaction engagement | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks | The degree of engagement experienced during interactions will be captured using a scale that measures the level of absorption and focused engagement with the robot at pre- and post-intervention time points (T1, T2) |
| Self-disclosure | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks. | Participants' intention of sharing personal information, thoughts, feelings, and experiences when interacting with the robot will be evaluated through a measure of self-disclosure specific to the human-robot interaction context at pre-intervention and post-intervention time points (T1, T2). |
Countries
China
Outcome results
None listed