Fostering adolescent engagement in generative AI art therapy: a dual SEM-ANN analysis of emotional

This study explores the application of generative artificial intelligence (AI) art in digital art therapy, focusing on how it influences adolescents' interest-driven participation. With mental health concerns rising among youth, understanding motivational mechanisms in AI-assisted therapeutic tools is both timely and essential.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 444 junior and senior high school students in Hubei Province, China. The study integrated Emotional Design Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to construct a predictive model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and artificial neural network (ANN) analyses were employed to validate the model and identify key predictors of engagement.

SEM results indicated that perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived fun (PF), and perceived trust (PT) significantly influenced users' attitudes toward use (ATT) (p < 0.001). ATT, PF, and PT were strong predictors of interest-driven participation, while the behavioral level had no direct effect on perceived enjoyment (PE). ANN analysis further highlighted ATT as the most influential predictor (100% normalized importance), notably exceeding PE (19.3%).

These findings emphasize the importance of intuitive design, seamless interaction, and trust-building in sustaining adolescents' engagement with AI-based art therapy. The study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding interest formation in youth and offers practical implications for improving emotional design, digital therapeutic tools, and mental health interventions.