Attachment to Technology: The Missing Link

Relationship and Attachment to Digital Health Technology During Cancer Treatment

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to explore the relationship that people with cancer and their family caregivers develop with symptom management technology during chemotherapy.

DATA SOURCES

A longitudinal and multi-perspective interpretative phenomenological approach was adopted. Data were collected using one-to-one in-depth interviews with people with colorectal cancer using supportive digital health symptom management technology (n=3) and their family caregivers (n=4) at two time points during chemotherapy treatment. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis and followed COREQ guidelines.

CONCLUSION

People with cancer and their family caregivers can develop emotional bonds with supportive symptom management technology during cancer treatment. Digital health technology can be experienced as a person guiding them during their cancer treatment. Participants felt vulnerable after the technology was returned to the research team. Participants recognized that it was not the technology that successfully facilitated them through their initial chemotherapy cycles; rather, the technology helped them learn to manage their symptoms and promoted their self-efficacy, as well as how to emotionally respond.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

The relationship and psychological bonds people with cancer and their family caregivers develop with technology during treatment may be critically important for oncology nurses to be aware of should digital health be prescribed within the outpatient model of cancer care. This study indicates that technology may not be needed for a full treatment experience, as digital health can promote confidence and self-efficacy regarding symptom management and prepare people with cancer to be independent after the digital health technology is returned to the research team. However, further research is needed regarding individual preferences for digital health provision.

Long-term effect of the absence of a companion robot on older adults: A preliminary pilot study

Robotic assistive technology for frail older adults has drawn attention, along with raising ethical concerns. The ethical implications of a robot's usage have been characterized in the literature as detrimental, such as emotional deception, unhealthy attachment, and reduced human contact from a deontological perspective. These concerns require practical investigations, although the long-term effect of robot usage on older adults remains uncertain. Our longitudinal study aimed to investigate how older adults with cognitive decline could be affected by using a robot for communication in their homes and how this situation could be reflected in possible emotional attachment to the robot i.e., emotional distress from the robot being taken away once they had become attached to it. We selected 13 older adults living alone and set up a humanoid robot in their homes with whom they could interact at any time for a period of 1–4 months. Questionnaire results indicated participants had a close attachment to the robots even after they were taken away. Interviews revealed that participants became distressed without the robots; however, despite the distress caused by feeling lonely, participants reported that their relationships with the robots were meaningful and that they were satisfied with the memories of having had the robot as a companion. The results raised new questions for further investigation into issues that should be addressed and potential factors affecting the user's adaptation processes. Regarding the consequences of the use of a companion robot, it is important to evaluate the positive aspects of the robot's usage including the emotional support lasting after it was no longer available and other effects on the users. Accordingly, we emphasize the significance of real-world exploration into the effects on the users as well as theoretical reflection on appropriate robot usage.

Examining attachment to robots: Benefits, challenges, and alternatives

Potential applications of robots in private and public human spaces have prompted the design of so-called “social robots” that can interact with humans in social settings and potentially cause humans to attach to the robots. The focus of this paper is an analysis of possible benefits and challenges arising from such human-robot attachment as reported in the HRI literature, followed by guidelines for the use and the design of robots that might elicit attachment bonds. We start by analyzing the potential benefits for humans becoming attached to robots, which might include increased natural interaction, effectiveness and acceptance of the robot, social companionship, and well-being for the human. Turning to the potential risks associated with human-robot attachment, we discuss the possibly suboptimal use of the robot in the most benign cases, but also the potential formation of unidirectional emotional bonds, and the potential for deception and subconscious influence of the robot on the person in more severe cases. The upshot of the analysis then is a recommendation to reconceptualize relationships with social robots in an attempt to retain potential benefits of human-robot attachment, while mitigating (to the extent possible) its downsides.