College student’s perceptions of acceptability of an AI-powered mental wellness chatbot for college student mental health
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Jazmin Reyes-Portillo
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 1:00 PM
Description
Background: College counseling centers have begun to turn to digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) to increase the availability and accessibility of treatment for students. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbots are a new type of DMHI. However, more information is needed to better understand college student’s attitudes toward AI chatbots and their role in helping to fill the gap in treatment. Thus, this study aims to assess college student’s perceptions of using Wayhaven, an AI chatbot for mental health wellness. Methods: Data was drawn from a cross-sectional study examining the preliminary effectiveness of Wayhaven, a DMHI, in improving anxiety and depression among college students. Participants were 50 ethnoracially diverse college students. Students used Wayhaven across one week and completed two open-ended questions asking them to: 1) provide feedback about how engaging and helpful they found Wayhaven and 2) give suggestions for changes or improvements t Wayhaven. Thematic analysis was used to code these two items. Results: Overall, results revealed that most students found Wayhaven to be engaging, citing that the human-like conversations and user-centered experience prompted them to continue conversations with the AI chatbot. However, some participants noted receiving robotic and unsympathetic responses, which may suggest the need to add more validating and supportive replies into Wayhaven. Conclusions: Students generally found Wayhaven to be engaging and helpful in reducing their depression and anxiety symptoms, and reported being satisfied with their experience using tool.
College student’s perceptions of acceptability of an AI-powered mental wellness chatbot for college student mental health
Background: College counseling centers have begun to turn to digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) to increase the availability and accessibility of treatment for students. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbots are a new type of DMHI. However, more information is needed to better understand college student’s attitudes toward AI chatbots and their role in helping to fill the gap in treatment. Thus, this study aims to assess college student’s perceptions of using Wayhaven, an AI chatbot for mental health wellness. Methods: Data was drawn from a cross-sectional study examining the preliminary effectiveness of Wayhaven, a DMHI, in improving anxiety and depression among college students. Participants were 50 ethnoracially diverse college students. Students used Wayhaven across one week and completed two open-ended questions asking them to: 1) provide feedback about how engaging and helpful they found Wayhaven and 2) give suggestions for changes or improvements t Wayhaven. Thematic analysis was used to code these two items. Results: Overall, results revealed that most students found Wayhaven to be engaging, citing that the human-like conversations and user-centered experience prompted them to continue conversations with the AI chatbot. However, some participants noted receiving robotic and unsympathetic responses, which may suggest the need to add more validating and supportive replies into Wayhaven. Conclusions: Students generally found Wayhaven to be engaging and helpful in reducing their depression and anxiety symptoms, and reported being satisfied with their experience using tool.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.