AI Chatbots for Anxiety Mental Health Literacy

Peking University

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Anxiety Literacy; Mental Health Literacy; Anxiety Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Text-Based Anxiety Psychoeducation; Behavioral: AI Anxiety Literacy Education; Behavioral: AI Anxiety Friend Simulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07316374

Anxiety Literacy AI Chatbot

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether AI-based chatbots can improve anxiety-related mental health literacy in adults with varying levels of anxiety. The study aims to learn whether interactive AI chatbots can improve understanding of anxiety, attitudes toward anxiety, help-seeking intentions, confidence in supporting others, and anxiety symptoms, compared with standard text-based educational materials.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does an AI-based psychoeducation chatbot improve anxiety-related mental health literacy compared with text-based psychoeducation?
2. Does adding interactive anxiety simulation conversations further improve mental health literacy and related outcomes compared with psychoeducation alone?

Researchers will compare participants who use an AI psychoeducation chatbot alone, participants who use an AI psychoeducation chatbot combined with anxiety simulation chatbots, and participants who receive text-based psychoeducation, to see whether the AI-based interventions lead to greater improvements in mental health literacy and related outcomes.

Participants will:

1. Complete baseline questionnaires assessing anxiety-related knowledge, attitudes, and symptoms
2. Be randomly assigned to one of three groups: AI psychoeducation chatbot, AI psychoeducation chatbot plus anxiety simulation chatbots, or text-based psychoeducation
3. Use the assigned intervention over a one-week period
4. Complete follow-up questionnaires immediately after the intervention and at later follow-up time points

Enrollment: 200 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Aged between 18 and 65 years.
2. Able to use digital devices (e.g., smartphone or computer) to complete AI-based conversations and questionnaires.
3. Willing to participate in a one-week online intervention.
4. Proficient in Chinese and able to understand study instructions and provide informed consent.
5. Participants with varying levels of anxiety symptoms are eligible.

Exclusion criteria

1. Self-reported history of severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder).
2. Currently receiving psychological or psychiatric treatment.
3. Severe mental health symptoms requiring immediate clinical intervention.
4. Inability to use mobile or internet-enabled devices independently.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

200 participants in 3 patient groups

AI Educator Only

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will interact with the AI-powered psychoeducation chatbot for one week. The chatbot delivers structured conversational modules covering anxiety concepts, symptoms, causes, treatment options, and self-help strategies.

Treatment:

Behavioral: AI Anxiety Literacy Education

AI Educator + AI Anxiety Friend Simulators

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will first complete all AI Educator modules and then interact with five AI Anxiety Friend Simulators over one week. Each simulator represents a distinct anxiety presentation and prompts participants to identify symptoms, explore mechanisms, and propose support strategies.

Treatment:

Behavioral: AI Anxiety Friend Simulation

Behavioral: AI Anxiety Literacy Education

Text-Based Psychoeducation

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive standard text-based psychoeducation materials about anxiety, including definitions, symptoms, causes, and coping strategies, to be completed within one week.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Text-Based Anxiety Psychoeducation