Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbot for Anxiety and Depression in University Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled...

Area of Science:

• Digital Mental Health
• Artificial Intelligence in Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Emerging use of AI chatbots for psychological interventions.
• Lack of studies on AI chatbots for mental health in Latin America.
• Need to explore digital tools for student mental well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the viability and acceptability of the Tess chatbot.
• Assess the potential impact of Tess on depression and anxiety symptoms.
• Examine chatbot use among Argentinian university students.

Main Methods:

• Pilot randomized controlled trial comparing Tess chatbot to a psychoeducation book.
• Intervention duration of 8 weeks.
• Analysis of depression and anxiety symptoms using Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon, and t-tests.

Main Results:

• 181 Argentinian university students participated; 39% in the Tess group completed.
• Higher message exchange with Tess correlated with positive user feedback.
• No significant group differences in depression or anxiety from baseline to week 8.
• Significant reduction in anxiety symptoms within the Tess group.

Conclusions:

• Tess chatbot demonstrated usability and acceptability in an Argentinian student population.
• Significant decrease in anxiety symptoms observed in users interacting with Tess.
• Further research is needed to advance chatbot applications in mental health.