ArticleJMIR mental health2025
Digital Conversational Agents for the Mental Health of Treatment-Seeking Youth: Scoping Review.
Article in JMIR mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 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
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Evidence and Future Directions for Pediatric Health Care Chatbots: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Perceived Support Is Not Psychological Change: Reframing AI Chatbots in Mental Health Care.JMIR AI · 2026Article
- It Is the Journey, Not the Destination: Moving From End Points to Trajectories When Assessing Chatbot Mental Health Safety.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Post-competition psychological recovery in elite adolescent athletes: a technology-scaffolded perspective.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Mental health chatbots and their technical features: A systematic review of reviews and a thematic analysis.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDigital conversational agents (or "chatbots") that can generate human-like conversations have recently been adapted as a means of administering mental health interventions. However, their development for youth seeking mental health services requires further investigation.
objectiveThis youth-engaged scoping review synthesizes the recent research on digital conversational agents for youth seeking mental health or substance use services.
methodsStudies were included if they were published between 2016 and 2025 and examined digital conversational agents for youth aged 11 to 24 years with mental health or substance use challenges in clinical settings. Systematic literature searches were conducted in February 2024 in multiple databases and updated in March 2025. Data were extracted using codeveloped forms and synthesized narratively.
resultsTen studies were included, all focusing on mental health. Seven examined the acceptability and feasibility of digital conversational agents; others explored youth perceptions of use, design, and content, with some exploration of impact on mental health symptoms. Eight of ten studies reported high acceptability or positive user experiences. Three were randomized controlled trials that found potential reductions in depressive symptoms. Reporting on the ethical standards was limited. No studies focused on substance use alone.
conclusionsLiterature on digital conversational agents for treatment-seeking youth is emerging but limited. Future rigorous research is needed that prioritizes data security, safety measures, and youth co-design in the development of safe, engaging, digital conversational agents for youth with mental health conditions.
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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.