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Development of a chatbot for depression: adolescent perceptions and recommendations.
Gilly Dosovitsky1, Eduardo Bunge1
1Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
|December 12, 2022
Summary
Mental health chatbots show promise for adolescents, with most users reporting positive experiences and willingness to use them. Further development should address technical and stylistic issues for better engagement.
Area of Science:
- Digital mental health
- Adolescent psychology
- Human-computer interaction
Background:
- Chatbots offer promising mental health outcomes for adults.
- Limited research exists on adolescent user experiences with mental health chatbots.
- Adolescents are often hesitant to engage with traditional mental health services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate adolescent user experiences with a mental health chatbot.
- To gather recommendations for improving chatbot design for adolescents.
- To assess the acceptability and potential utility of chatbots in adolescent mental healthcare.
Main Methods:
- User testing with 23 adolescents (ages 13-18) of a psychoeducational chatbot.
- The chatbot focused on depression, behavioral activation, and cognitive restructuring.
- Thematic analysis of user feedback on experience, impressions, and recommendations.
Main Results:
- 56.5% completed the intervention; 64.3% would use the chatbot again.
- Positive user experiences (54.5%) were common, particularly regarding symptom improvement and availability.
- Key recommendations focused on resolving technical issues (66%).
Conclusions:
- Mental health chatbots are acceptable to some adolescents.
- Adolescents perceive chatbots as helpful for symptom improvement and appreciate their availability.
- Addressing technical and stylistic concerns is crucial for developing appealing and relevant adolescent mental health chatbots.
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