People who care informally for sick or disabled friends and relatives often become invisible in their own lives. Focusing on the needs of those they care for, they rarely get the chance to talk about their own emotions or challenges, and this can lead to them feeling increasingly stressed and isolated.
Now, in a first-of-a-kind study, researchers at the University of Cambridge have trialled an unusual solution: a series of regular chats with a humanoid robot.
In work published in the International Journal of Social Robotics, the researchers found that when carers talked regularly to a robot programmed to interact with them, it produced significant positive benefits. These included the carers feeling less lonely and overwhelmed, and being more in touch with their own emotions.
"In other words, these conversations with a social robot gave caregivers something that they sorely lack - a space to talk about themselves," said first author Dr Guy Laban from Cambridge's Department of Computer Science and Technology.
He and an international team of colleagues set up a five-week intervention with a group of informal caregivers - those who care for friends or family members without being paid or formally trained to do so.
While many carers find the experience rewarding, supporting those who have significant physical and mental health conditions can also cause them physical and emotional strain.
The researchers found that increased care and family responsibilities, along with shrinking personal space and reduced social engagement, are reasons why informal caregivers often report a tremendous sense of loneliness.
One coping strategy often used by people in emotional distress is self-disclosure and social sharing - for example, talking to friends. But this is not always possible for carers who often face a lack of social support and in-person interaction.
Interested in seeing how the rapidly developing field of social robotics could help address this issue, the researchers set up an intervention for a group of carers.
Those who took part, ranging from parents looking after children with disabilities to older adults caring for a partner with dementia, were able to chat to the humanoid robot Pepper twice a week throughout the five weeks.
The research team wanted to see how carers' perceptions of the robot evolved over time and whether they saw it as comforting. They were also looking to see how that in turn affected their moods, their feelings of loneliness and stress levels and what the impact was on their emotion regulation.
After discussing everyday topics with Pepper, the carers' moods improved and they viewed the robot as increasingly comforting, the researchers found. The participants also reported feeling progressively less lonely and stressed.
"Over those five weeks, carers gradually opened up more," said Laban. "They spoke to Pepper more freely, for longer than they had done at the start, and they also reflected more deeply on their own experiences.
"They told us that chatting to the robot helped them to open up, feel less lonely and overwhelmed, and reconnect with their own emotional needs."
The research also showed that being able to talk to a social robot could help carers translate their unspoken emotions into meaningful, shared understanding.
For example, after the five-week intervention, carers reported a greater acceptance of their caregiving role, reappraising it more positively and with reduced feelings of blame towards others.
These results highlight the potential of social robots to provide emotional support for individuals coping with emotional distress.
"Informal carers are often overwhelmed by emotional burdens and isolation," said co-author Professor Emily Cross from ETH Zürich. "This study is - to the best of our knowledge - the first to show that a series of conversations with a robot about themselves can significantly reduce carers' loneliness and stress.
"The intervention also promoted acceptance of their caregiving role and strengthened their ability to regulate their emotions. This highlights ways in which assistive social robots can offer emotional support when human connection is often scarce."
Reference:
Guy Laban, Val Morrison, Arvid Kappas, Emily S. Cross. 'Coping with Emotional Distress via Self-Disclosure to Robots: An Intervention with Caregivers.' International Journal of Social Robotics (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s12369-024-01207-0
