Attitudes of Israelis toward family caregivers assisted by a robot in the delivery of care to older people: The roles of collectivism and individualism

Abstract

The provision of care to older people by robots is accompanied not only by negative attitudes about the implications of using robots for their care (e.g., increasing their loneliness or compromising their safety), but also negative attitudes toward family caregivers, as by transferring care to technological entities, they may be perceived as doing something inconsistent with family morals. These attitudes, which may hinder the adoption of robots for elder care, may be shaped by cultural factors – namely, a collectivistic vs. an individualistic orientation. The purpose of the current study was to examine for the first time: 1) the attitudes of the Israeli public toward family caregivers assisted by a robot in their care of an older person vs. family caregivers who provide care without a robot's assistance; and 2) whether horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism might explain these attitudes. An experimental study was conducted among a nationwide sample of 618 Israelis who were 18 years of age or older, using two vignettes that were randomly administered to respondents. Nearly half of the sample (49.5 %) received the first vignette, which assessed attitudes toward providing care for older people with the help of a robot. The remainder received the second vignette, assessing attitudes toward providing such care solely by their children. Participants reported significantly more perceived negative impacts on the caregiving recipient as a result of the use of a robot (mean/SD = 2.71/0.83) compared to the provision of care solely by family caregivers (mean/SD = 1.96/0.72), and they also had more negative perceptions toward family caregivers who used a robot (mean/SD = 3.49/0.86) compared to family caregivers who did not use a robot (mean/SD = 2.46/0.91). Vertical individualism/collectivism and background variables (i.e., age, education, gender, marital status) played a role in determining these attitudes. The research results provide important insights for the development of culturally appropriate intervention programs for the use of robots in elder care.