The Effectiveness of AI Chatbots in Alleviating Mental Distress and Promoting Health Behaviors Among Adolescents and...

The prevalence of mental distress and health risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults has emerged as a pressing public health concern. Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have been increasingly recognized for their potential to provide scalable and accessible mental health support and health education; however, questions remain about their effectiveness in addressing the unique challenges faced by adolescents and young adults.

This study aimed to synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of AI chatbots in alleviating mental distress and promoting health behaviors among adolescents and young adults.

Eight databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore) were searched for RCTs published in English between January 1, 2014, and January 26, 2025. Eligible studies assessed the effects of AI chatbots on mental distress and health behavior outcomes among adolescents and young adults (15-39 years). Extracted data were synthesized narratively or meta-analyzed as appropriate; subgroup and meta-regression analyses were performed to explore moderators of chatbot effectiveness. Risk of bias was evaluated using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias 2 (RoB 2) tool for randomized trials. Evidence quality was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Out of 2495 records retrieved, 31 RCTs were included, comprising 29,637 participants; 26 studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Overall, AI chatbots demonstrated small-to-moderate effects in mitigating mental distress (standard mean difference [SMD] -0.35, 95% CI -0.46 to -0.24; P<.001) and promoting health behaviors (SMD 0.11, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.19; P=.006) in adolescents and young adults. Significant improvements were observed for depressive (SMD -0.43, 95% CI -0.62 to -0.23; P<.001), anxiety (SMD -0.37, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.17; P<.001), stress (SMD -0.41, 95% CI -0.50 to -0.31; P<.001), and psychosomatic symptoms (SMD -0.48, 95% CI -0.82 to -0.14; P=.006); negative affect (SMD -0.27, 95% CI -0.53 to -0.01; P=.04); and self-ambivalence and appearance distress (SMD -0.25, 95% CI -0.34 to -0.17; P=.01). While AI chatbots contributed to modest enhancements in life satisfaction and well-being, their impacts on positive affect and self-efficacy were limited. The effectiveness of AI chatbots varied depending on target samples, control conditions, and design features such as dialog system methods, deployment formats, and the use of reminders. User engagement emerged as a critical factor for success, with repetitive content and technical issues noted as primary barriers to adherence.

This systematic review and meta-analysis highlights the potential of AI chatbots to address mental health challenges and promote health behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Retrieval-based dialog systems demonstrated consistent and reliable effects, while generative systems showed promise, but their overall effectiveness was inconclusive. Future research should prioritize developing safety protocols and evaluation frameworks for generative systems and validating their long-term impacts on mental health and behavior change in adolescents and young adults.