Effect of utilizing a humanoid robot as a therapy-assistant in reducing anger, anxiety, and depression

Treatment of cancer involves many invasive procedures that could be a source of distress in kids suffering from cancer. Distress itself can be an important obstacle in patients´ acceptance of treatment and their adaptation to it, consequently reducing its efficiency. Distress symptoms, in a spectrum from mild to critical, are shown to be widespread in children struggling with cancer. In recent years to alleviate this psychological condition, researchers have proposed and examined several methods such as relaxation, hypnosis, desensitization, and distraction. This study presents a new approach to explore the impact of utilizing a humanoid robot as a therapy-assistant in dealing with patients´ distress. Ten children, ages 6-10, diagnosed with cancer were randomly assigned into two groups of Social Robot-Assisted Therapy (5 kids) and Psychotherapy (5 kids) at two specialized hospitals in Tehran. A NAO robot was employed as a robotic assistant to a psychologist in the SRAT group to perform various scenarios in eight treatment sessions. The results of this investigation in the level of anger, anxiety, and depression could render utilizing social robots in psychological interventions for pediatric cancer. The implication of this study shall be beneficial to psychologists, oncologists, and robot specialists.