Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jun 16, 2023
Date Accepted: Mar 7, 2024
Effectiveness of a mental health chatbot for people with chronic diseases: A randomized controlled trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
People with chronic diseases tend to experience more mental health issues than their peers without these health conditions. Mental health chatbots offer a potential source of mental health support for people with chronic diseases.
Objective:
The aim of the current study was to determine whether a mental health chatbot can improve mental health in people with chronic diseases.
Methods:
Individuals with a chronic disease, either arthritis or diabetes, were recruited using various online methods. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Those in the treatment group used a mental health chatbot app (Wysa) over a period of four weeks. Those in the control group received no intervention. Participants completed online measures of depression, anxiety, and stress at the outset of the study, with follow-up testing two and four weeks later. At the end of the study, participants in the treatment group were asked to complete open-ended questions on their experiences with the app.
Results:
Sixty-eight participants (47 women; M age = 42.87 years, SD = 11.27) were included in the analysis; they were divided evenly between the treatment and control groups. Participants in the treatment group reported reductions in depression (P < .001) and anxiety (P < .001) over the study period. No changes in depression or anxiety were found among participants in the control group. No changes in stress were reported by participants in either group. Participants with arthritis reported higher levels of depression (P = .004), anxiety (P = .004), and stress (P = .014) than participants with diabetes over the course of the study; otherwise, patterns of results were similar across these health conditions. In response to the open-ended questions, participants in the treatment group said that they liked many of the functions and features of the app, the general design of the app, and the user experience. They also disliked some aspects of app, with most of these reports focusing on the chatbot’s conversational abilities.
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest that mental health chatbots may be an effective source of mental health support for people with chronic diseases such as arthritis and diabetes. Although cost-effective and accessible, these programs have limitations and may not be well suited for all individuals. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04620668
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