Acceptability of Robot-Assisted Therapy for Disruptive Behavior Problems in Children

• Published in: Archives of scientific psychology 2015-08, Vol.3 (1), p.101-110
• Main Authors: Rabbitt, Sarah M., Kazdin, Alan E., Hong, Joanna H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assistive Technology; Behavior Problems; Female; Human; Male; Robotics; Treatment Compliance
• ISSN: 2169-3269; 2169-3269
• DOI: 10.1037/arc0000017

ABSTRACT Psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults increasingly draws on technology as reflected in treatments available on the Internet for all sorts of psychological problems (e.g., depression, anxiety). A relatively new technology is the use of social robots to teach specific skills that can reduce psychological and behavioral problems. The adoption of such treatments depends heavily on whether people find them acceptable and a reasonable approach to clinical problems. In this study, we had parents evaluate 3 strategies to treat disruptive behavioral problems in children. Our primary interest was seeing the extent to which parents would see robots as an acceptable form of treatment. Three treatment conditions were compared. The first strategy was a cognitively based treatment administered through a robot; the second was the same treatment administered through the Internet. A third condition was no treatment at all but seeing if parents viewed the other treatments as better than just waiting and seeing if the child grows out of the problem. In fact, most children experiencing psychological problems do not receive any treatment, so waiting and seeing if the child gets better is a common practice. Parents evaluated the treatments after learning how the treatments were applied to children with behavioral problems commonly seen in psychological services. The results indicated that social robots were very acceptable as a form of treatment for children. The more familiar use of technology through the Internet was viewed as more acceptable than the use of robotics. Both treatments were seen as more acceptable than waiting for the child to get better. As technology is increasingly applied to help with psychological problems, we will need to know more about the conditions that make them acceptable and how to ensure that treatments are seen as viable options when help is needed. SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT Technological innovations have changed the way that mental health care interventions are delivered. In recent years, robots have been integrated into treatments for multiple mental health problems. To clarify public opinion regarding the integration of robots into psychological treatments, this study assessed parents' reaction to robot-assisted therapy as a treatment option for children with disruptive behavior problems. Parents from a community sample (N = 100) were presented with a brief clinical description of a child with disruptive behavior problems and e