ArticleDigital health
Chatbot-delivered mental health support: Attitudes and utilization in a sample of U.S. college students.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- "It's Not Only Attention We Need": Systematic Review of Large Language Models in Mental Health Care.JMIR mental health · 2025Pooled it
- A Meta-Analysis of the Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence in Psychotherapy.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Exploring Real-World Use of AI Chatbots for Mental Health Support: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Help-Seeking in the Age of AI: Cross-Sectional Survey of the Use and Perceptions of AI-Based Mental Health Support Among US Adults.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- From promise to practice: artificial intelligence in mental health care in the MENA region.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Development of a Rule-Based Chatbot for Supporting Family Caregivers After Psychiatric Hospital Discharge: An Exploratory Qualitative Study in Indonesia.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Article
- Clinician and patient perspectives on digital technology platforms for healthcare delivery.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Disclosure is not destigmatization: rethinking AI and mental health stigma.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Mapping applications and evaluations of LLM-enabled AI chatbots for health purposes: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- As Effective as You Perceive It: The Relationship Between ChatGPT's Perceived Effectiveness and Mental Health Stigma.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Alter egos alter engagement: perspective-taking can improve disclosure quantity and depth to AI chatbots in promoting mental wellbeing.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Objective: Chatbots' rapid advancements raise the possibility that they can be used to deliver mental health support. However, public utilization of and opinions toward chatbots for mental health support are poorly understood. Methods: Survey study of 428 U.S. university students who participated in early 2024, just over one year after the release of ChatGPT. Descriptive analyses examined utilization of and attitudes toward both traditional mental health services (i.e. psychotherapy, counseling, or medication) and chatbot-delivered mental health support. Results: Nearly half (49%) of participants reported having used a chatbot for any purpose, yet only 5% reported seeking mental health support from a chatbot (8% when only considering participants with probable depression or generalized anxiety disorder). Attitudes toward traditional mental health services were broadly positive, and attitudes toward chatbot-delivered support were neutral and significantly less positive ( Conclusion: Among U.S. students, utilization of chatbots for mental health support is uncommon. Chatbots are perceived as less likely to be beneficial, yet also less affected by cost, time, and stigma barriers than traditional services. Rigorous outcome research may increase public trust in and utilization of chatbots for mental health support.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.