ArticleFrontiers in psychology2025
Attitudes towards AI counseling: the existence of perceptual fear in affecting perceived chatbot support quality.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Emerging Roles of AI in Self-Directed Stress Management: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- ChatGPT Clinical Use in Mental Health Care: Scoping Review of Empirical Evidence.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
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2 authors.
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Abstract
Introduction: Due to the shortage of financial and human resources in the local mental health industry, AI counseling presents itself as a cost-effective solution to address this limitation. However, fear and concerns about AI may hinder the adoption of AI in counseling. This study examined the relationships between individuals' prior AI exposures, AI anxiety levels, attitudes towards AI, and their perceived support satisfaction with the counseling chatbot. Methods: With a simulated counseling chatbot developed using Azure OpenAI GPT-4 model (1106-preview version) and a sample of 110 local Chinese in Hong Kong, this study explored the potential existence of perceptual fear in affecting people's perceived support quality of the chatbot by manipulating the informed perceptual labels-Told-Human (told to be receiving human counseling) and Told-AI (told to be receiving AI counseling). Results: Perceptual fear of AI adversely affected participants' perceived support quality of the counseling chatbot, Discussion: This study highlights the importance of accounting for the influence of individuals' pre-existing beliefs on the perceived support quality of counseling chatbots. Future cross-cultural studies with a larger sample may shed more light by investigating dynamic intervention approaches and conducting sentiment and thematic analyses of client-chatbot conversations.
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