SynthesisThe Gerontologist2025
Wired for companionship: a meta-analysis on social robots filling the void of loneliness in later life.
Synthesis in The Gerontologist, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Addressing the silent epidemic: a narrative review and evidence synthesis of digital health and telehealth interventions for loneliness in older adults.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Review
- User Needs and Preferences for Multimodal Interaction in Social Robots for Later-Life Support: An Exploratory Survey and Conceptual Five-Layer Architecture.Journal of Intelligence · 2026Article
- A scoping review of generative AI and digital twins in tackling loneliness during hospital-to-home transitions.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
- Reframing Person-Centered Fundamental Care in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Posthumanization: A Theory-Informed Narrative Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Review
- An online survey of encouragement strategies for older adults' daily worries: a conversational robot versus a human partner.Frontiers in robotics and AI · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesLoneliness is a significant public health concern affecting over a quarter of older adults worldwide. Emerging research suggests that artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled social robots may offer a viable alternative for providing a new form of social support and reducing loneliness. This meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness of AI-enabled social robots in reducing loneliness among older adults and examines the conditions under which these interventions are most effective. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
methodsA systematic search was conducted through October 2024. Effect sizes from 19 studies (N = 1,083) were synthesized using robust variance estimation (RVE) in meta-regression. Moderation analyses examined how social robots' effectiveness differs by contextual factors such as participants' backgrounds and studies' characteristics.
resultsOur findings indicated that social robots significantly reduced loneliness among older adults. However, studies with control groups indicate a higher effect size. Moreover, greater reductions in loneliness are observed among individuals in institutional settings compared to those living independently. In addition, stronger intervention effects reported in Japan and Turkey than in the United States. However, age, cognitive status, robot type, duration of intervention, and year of publication did not significantly influence intervention effectiveness. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings underscore the potential of social robots as an effective and scalable approach for addressing loneliness among older adults, particularly within institutional care environments. Policymakers, gerontologists, and care providers should consider integrating AI-enabled social robots into existing care frameworks, emphasizing culturally sensitive and inclusive implementation strategies.
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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.