Computational Social Science Empowering Social Work: Multi-source Data, Machine Learning, and Policy Evaluation

計算社會科學賦能老年社會工作：多源資料、機器學習與政策評估

Organizer: Dr. Xiang Gao (Associate Professor, Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

高翔博士（華中科技大學副教授）

Date, Time, & Location: Sunday, June 7, 2026 | 9:00 – 10:30 | HG02

[Abstract] The session features five diverse presentations. First, Ying Wang presents a framework for "relational co-presence," reimagining digital empathy and trust-building in online social work education and practice. Second, Meirong Liu evaluates the usability and acceptability of an LLM-powered system for conducting health interviews, focusing on engaging marginalized populations such as caregivers of children with asthma to improve health equity. Third, Cheng Liao examines the relationship between the Green View Index (GVI) in nursing homes and the cognitive function of older adults. Fourth, Yuanxing Wang evaluates the impact of Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) on the incidence of elder abuse, utilizing a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model and judicial big data from 2010 to 2020. Finally, Shirui Liu examines social media discourse on elder abuse in Chinese long-term care institutions, focusing on the dimensions of stigma and systemic distrust through a multidimensional sentiment analysis.

Together, these presentations from scholars across multiple institutions highlight the potential of applying machine learning, large language models, and quasi-experimental designs to advance social work research, policy, and practice.

B4.1  Cultivating Trust-in-Co-Presence: A Teaching Note on Digital Empathy Practice in Online Social Work

Ying Wang¹, *Kaihe Zhang¹

¹Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

B4.2 Usability and Acceptability of an LLM-Powered System for Health Interviews With Marginalized Populations

*Meirong Liu¹

¹Howard University, Washington, DC, USA

B4.3  Room-level visible greenness and agitation in long-term care facilities: a cognition-dependent association

*Cheng Liao¹, Xiang Gao¹

¹Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

B4.4 Does Long-Term Care Insurance Reduce Elder Abuse? Evidence from China's Judicial Big Data

*Yuanxing Wang¹, Xiang Gao¹

¹Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

B4.5 Stigma and Systemic Distrust: A Multidimensional Sentiment Analysis of Social Media Discourse on Elder Abuse in Chinese Long-term Care Institutions

*Shirui Liu¹, Xiang Gao¹

¹Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China