Christine Gustafsson

About

Christine Gustafsson is a prominent researcher specializing in gerontechnology, elder care, and the integration of robotics into healthcare settings. Her work sits at the critical intersection of aging populations, welfare technology, and human-centered care, making her one of the field's most recognized voices in Scandinavia and beyond. Gustafsson's early landmark contribution, "Using a Robotic Cat in Dementia Care" (2015), garnered 142 citations and established her reputation by rigorously examining how interactive robotic companions affect individuals living with dementia, as well as the experiences of their caregivers and relatives. This foundational work paved the way for her prolific 2020 output, in which she tackled the socio-technical challenges of embedding care robots into real-world elder care systems across multiple influential papers, collectively earning nearly 200 additional citations. Her research consistently addresses practical barriers — from orientation and training for assistant nurses across European countries to older adults' evolving attitudes toward humanized robots. Notably, she has explored how improved knowledge shifts perceptions among elderly populations, and under what conditions individuals might prefer robotic over human caregivers. Gustafsson's body of work ultimately provides policymakers, care professionals, and technologists with essential evidence-based frameworks for responsibly and ethically integrating robotics into aging care services.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Using a Robotic Cat in Dementia Care: A Pilot Study

   142 citations · 2015
2. 2
   Care Robot Orientation: What, Who and How? Potential Users’ Perceptions

   71 citations · 2020
3. 3
   Significant challenges when introducing care robots in Swedish elder care

   67 citations · 2020
4. 4
   Embedding care robots into society and practice: Socio-technical considerations

   60 citations · 2020
5. 5
   Assistant nurses and orientation to care robot use in three European countries

   18 citations · 2022
6. 6
   Improved Knowledge Changes the Mindset: Older Adults’ Perceptions of Care Robots

   17 citations · 2019
7. 7
   No thank you to humanized robots: attitudes to care robots in elder care services

   16 citations · 2022
8. 8
   When do individuals choose care robots over a human caregiver? Insights from a laboratory experiment on choices under uncertainty

   10 citations · 2022
9. 9
   9 Assistive robots in care: Expectations and perceptions of older people

   9 citations · 2020
10. 10
    Perception of Society’s Trust in Care Robots by Public Opinion Leaders

    7 citations · 2022

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links