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Validity of Chatbot Use for Mental Health Assessment: Experimental Study
Anita Schick1, Jasper Feine2, Stefan Morana3
1Department of Public Mental Health, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth
|October 31, 2022
Summary
Chatbots show promise for mental health assessments, demonstrating valid results comparable to traditional methods. However, these digital tools require more participant effort and time, despite increased social presence.
Area of Science:
- Digital mental health
- Human-computer interaction
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Adolescent and young adult mental disorders are a significant public health issue.
- Digital tools like chatbots offer a novel approach to mental health assessment.
- Chatbot interactions may introduce biases like socially desirable responding (SDR) and increase assessment effort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of chatbot-based mental health assessments.
- To examine the impact of assessment mode on socially desirable responding (SDR).
- To compare the effort required for chatbot assessments versus traditional methods.
Main Methods:
- A counterbalanced within-subject design assessed psychological distress and problematic alcohol use.
- Three assessment modes were used: chatbot, paper-and-pencil, and web-based.
- Socially desirable responding (SDR), perceived social presence, and effort were measured.
Main Results:
- Chatbot assessments demonstrated strong convergent and discriminant validity.
- No significant differences in SDR were found across assessment modes.
- Chatbot assessments required greater effort and time compared to established modes, but had higher perceived social presence.
Conclusions:
- Chatbots can yield valid mental health assessment results.
- Design trade-offs for chatbots include increased social presence but also increased participant effort.
- Understanding these trade-offs is crucial for effective implementation of digital mental health tools.
