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While existing studies largely focus on normative frameworks, empirical insights into older adults' subjective experiences in specific cultural settings remain limited. Grounded in China's care realities, this qualitative study explored older adults' anticipated emotional attachment to SARs and the associated ethical concerns through semi\u2010structured, scenario\u2010based interviews. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six\u2010phase thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: (1) anticipated and imagined emotional attachment to SARs; (2) perceived catalysts of anticipated emotional attachment, driven by loneliness, limited family support, and the projection of human\u2010like qualities; and (3) anticipated consequences of emotional attachment, including expected emotional support alongside concerns about family ties and autonomy. Chinese older adults expressed ambivalent expectations regarding emotional attachment to SARs. Their accounts reflected unmet emotional and caregiving needs within family\u2010based care norms while raising concerns about intergenerational relationships and autonomy. Future SAR implementation should ensure that robots complement rather than replace human care and preserve relational autonomy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/nhs.70410","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T23:29:02Z","timestamp":1786404542000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring Emotional Attachment to Socially Assistive Robots: A Qualitative Study Among Older Adults"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"28","author":[{"given":"Jixia","family":"Cao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Hunan Normal University  Changsha Hunan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Can","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Hunan Normal University  Changsha Hunan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xingru","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Hunan Normal University  Changsha Hunan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Junjin","family":"An","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Hunan Normal University  Changsha Hunan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinchang","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Hunan Normal University  Changsha Hunan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiahui","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Hunan Normal University  Changsha Hunan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4328-9708","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ying","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing Hunan Normal University  Changsha Hunan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_14_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10615\u2010014\u20100511\u20104"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3532106.3533471"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877\u2010023\u201004533\u20106"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_5_1","volume-title":"Attachment and Loss","author":"Bowlby J.","year":"1969"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.futures.2005.01.003"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jamda.2020.05.036"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/s1041610220000459"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/hsc.12099"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.46234\/ccdcw2022.147"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_11_1","volume-title":"Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners","author":"Clarke V.","year":"2013"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12369\u2010024\u201001143\u2010z"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/41302237"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2147\/PPA.S606459"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467\u20109280.2008.02056.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12369\u2010026\u201001396\u2010w"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18094846"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Forlizzi J. andC.Disalvo.2006.\u201cService Robots in the Domestic Environment: A Study of the Roomba Vacuum in the Home.\u201d(Vol. 2006).https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/1121241.1121286.","DOI":"10.1145\/1121241.1121286"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/tmj.2018.0051"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12369\u2010025\u201001344\u20100"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15302\/J-SSCAE-2022.02.023"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17206\/apjrece.2018.12.1.23"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_23_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/robotics12060162"},{"key":"e_1_2_14_24_1","unstructured":"Kosow H. andR.Ga\u00dfner.2008.\u201cMethods of Future and Scenario Analysis. 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