ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2020
Robotic Pet Use Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06683443 (Assessing the Effects of Robotic Pets on Patients With Dementia in the Acute Care Hospital Setting), which is not on this map. Cited by 30 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Assessing the Effects of Robotic Pets on Patients With Dementia in the Acute Care Hospital Setting
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions against loneliness and social isolation in older adults- a systematic review.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Mapping the global research landscape and trends of older people living alone: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in aging · 2025Pooled it
- Intelligent Physical Robots in Health Care: Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Older Adults' Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Physical Information and Communication Technology in the Era of Ambient Assisted Living: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Effect of a Robot Pet Companion on the Mood of Older Adults Receiving Family Caregiver Support: Pilot RCT.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Embodied Intelligence Applications in Health Care Populations: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Evaluating Human-Robot Interactions to Support Healthy Aging-in-Place.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025Review
- AI Applications to Reduce Loneliness Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness and Technologies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Understanding entangled human-technology-world relations: use of intelligent voice assistants by older adults.Information research · 2025Article
- Improving the Social Well-Being of Single Older Adults Using the LOVOT Social Robot: Qualitative Phenomenological Study.JMIR human factors · 2024Article
- Perceptions and experiences of Korean American older adults with companion robots through long-term use: a comparative analysis of robot retention vs. return.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Exploring the role of human-following robots in supporting the mobility and wellbeing of older people.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Exploring the Presence of Humanoid Social Robots at Home and Capturing Human-Robot Interactions with Older Adults: Experiences from Four Case Studies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Association between loneliness and acceptance of using robots and pets as companions among older Chinese immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic.Australasian journal on ageing · 2022Article
- Article
- "We're protecting them to death"-A Heideggerian interpretation of loneliness among older adults in long-term care facilities during COVID-19: Contact details.Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences · 2022Article
- Designing Man's New Best Friend: Enhancing Human-Robot Dog Interaction through Dog-Like Framing and Appearance.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Managing Perceived Loneliness and Social-Isolation Levels for Older Adults: A Survey with Focus on Wearables-Based Solutions.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Humanoid robot intervention vs. treatment as usual for loneliness in long-term care homes: Study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe primary purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of robotic pets in alleviating loneliness for older adults.
methodSelf-reported lonely individuals with AARP Medicare Supplement plans insured by UnitedHealthcare who participated in a program with a robotic pet (n = 20) were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked to provide feedback about their experiences interacting with a robotic pet, their perceptions about the potential impact on loneliness, and recommendations for improving the program. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants' responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Constant comparison and consensus-gaining processes were used to develop categories that later formed representative themes.
resultsSeven themes emerged from analysis: Openness to Adoption of Robotic Pet, Reactions to Pet and its Attributes, Integration of Pet in Daily Life, Strategic Utilization and Forging New Connections, Deriving Comfort and Camaraderie, Advice for Future Users, and Recommendations for Enhancing Ownership Experience. Participants living alone, with fewer social connections and less active lifestyles, derived the most benefit from interacting with their pets. Common responses to pets included cuddling, petting, grooming, and sleeping with them. Some shared or loaned their pets, while others refused to loan their pets to interested peers. Most reported showing their pets to others, which helped some facilitate communication and social connections.
conclusionRobotic pets may be an effective solution for alleviating loneliness in older adults, especially among those who live alone, have fewer social connections, and live less active lifestyles.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.