ArticleArchives of sexual behavior2026
"I Could Practice Flirting Without Pressure": A Proof-of-Concept Study of an AI Chatbot-Assisted Intervention for Men Facing Distressing Involuntary Singlehood.
Article in Archives of sexual behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The Therapeutic Potential of Chatbots for Men Who Are Involuntarily Single: A Commentary on Lafortune et al. (2026).Archives of sexual behavior · 2026Article
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
Abstract
Amid rising global rates of loneliness and romantic distress, many individuals seek connection with romantic chatbots-AI-driven companions designed to simulate intimate interactions. Although chatbot-assisted interventions have shown promise in mental health care, their therapeutic potential for addressing romantic distress remains largely underexplored. Men experiencing involuntary singlehood often report elevated psychological, relational, and sexual distress, yet many avoid conventional therapy, underscoring the need for innovative, accessible interventions. This mixed-methods proof-of-concept study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, adequacy, and preliminary effects of a one-session therapist-guided chatbot intervention targeting involuntary singlehood-related distress. Thirty-two Canadian men reporting involuntary singlehood completed a three-level intervention program based on a romantic chatbot simulating dating app interactions: (1) initiating contact, (2) practicing self-disclosure, and (3) navigating romantic rejection. Outcomes were assessed using validated measures of relational, psychological, and sexual distress at baseline (T1), one-month (T2), and three-month (T3) post-intervention follow-ups, while acceptability and adequacy were assessed during and immediately following the intervention through standardized instruments and open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated-measures ANOVAs, and qualitative content analysis. Significant reductions were observed in relational, psychological, and sexual distress (moderate-to-large effect sizes). Most participants rated the intervention format as appropriate and found the chatbot interactions realistic, reflective of real-life romantic challenges, and beneficial for developing romantic skills. These findings suggest that this chatbot-assisted intervention may hold promise in accompanying individuals navigating involuntary singlehood. Future randomized controlled trials need to confirm its clinical effects, optimize its technical architecture and therapeutic delivery (e.g., through modules tailored to individual needs), and assess skill transfer to real-life contexts.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41484538What OpenQuestion holds
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.