Child–Robot Bonding as a Safe Haven
Reducing Stress in Children and Mothers During Separation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22190867 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hikaru Nozawa (0009-0006-2857-1624, Doshisha University), David Vincze (0000-0001-5828-8498, Chuo University), Ryusei Sawada (0009-0003-0888-7558, Chuo University), Mihoko Niitsuma (0009-0008-3800-7319, Chuo University), Masaharu Kato (0000-0001-7664-1187, Doshisha University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2573-9522 • E-ISSN: 2573-9522 |
| Publisher | Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1145/3796516 |
| OpenAlex | W7128586104 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 68 |
Although prior research has examined dyadic relationships between children and robots, empirical evidence is lacking on how robots can support childcare by fostering relationships involving both children and mothers. This study advances human–robot interaction research by comparing families that lived with a robot for 7 days (robot-present group) with those that did not (robot-absent group) to assess whether robots reduce stress during mother–child separation. By integrating physiological and behavioral measures, we examined stress reduction in 44 mother–child pairs ( n = 18 and n = 26, respectively). We measured the cardiac acceleration capacity, a specific indicator of sympathetic stress response, along with children’s heart rate, movement distance, and duration of physical contact with the robot during a separation–reunion procedure. The results indicated that (1) mothers in the robot-present group exhibited lower sympathetic activation during separation than those in the robot-absent group; (2) children in the robot-present group displayed a decreased heart rate despite increased movement during separation; and (3) children significantly increased their physical interaction with the robot during separation. These findings suggest a positive feedback loop: as children utilized the robot as a stress buffer, mothers gained visual reassurance of their children’s adaptive responses, further reducing maternal stress. Theoretically, this study extends attachment theory to human–robot interactions by demonstrating that a robot can serve as a safe haven , without replacing the full attachment bond established with human caregivers. Practically, this study introduces a novel parenting support approach wherein robots offer direct support to children while simultaneously providing social support to mothers
Heart rate · Heart rate variability · Human–robot interaction · Robot · Social support · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Social Robot Interaction and HRI
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |