Can Mental Health Chatbots Help Chronic Disease Populations?

Past research has shown that patients suffering from chronic health conditions tend to experience high levels of negative mental health symptoms (e.g., depression). The purpose of the current study is to evaluate whether an artificial intelligence (A.I.) mental health chatbot can be used to reduce negative mental health symptoms within this population. A minimum of 60 individuals with a chronic health condition (diabetes or arthritis) will be recruited. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group. Those assigned to the treatment group will use the mental health chatbot Wysa (Touchkin eServices, Bangalore) over a period of four weeks. Those assigned to the control group will receive no chatbot. Participants will complete measures of depression, anxiety, stress, and life satisfaction via Qualtrics at the outset of the study, two weeks into the study, and four weeks into the study (i.e., the final assessment point). Results from the treatment and control groups will be compared using ANOVA models. Participants in the treatment group will also be asked to complete some open-ended questions about their experiences with the chatbot program. A subset of participants from the treatment group may be asked to complete optional phone or video interviews to gain a better understanding of their experiences. Results will provide insight into the usefulness of chatbot programs for reducing negative mental health symptoms among patients with a chronic health condition. Results may also be used to inform policy decisions about the use of these programs for healthcare delivery, and to provide practical insight into how these programs can be best integrated into healthcare settings.