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This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

Digital Health Reviews (3718) Digital Mental Health Interventions, e-Mental Health and Cyberpsychology (3247) mHealth for Wellness, Behavior Change and Prevention (4283) Anxiety and Stress Disorders (1623) Mental Health Issues in Adolescence (766) Chatbots and Conversational Agents (1193) Artificial Intelligence (4850) Theme Issue 2025: AI-Powered Therapy Bots and Virtual Companions in Digital Mental Health (90)

Published on in Vol 27 (2025)

This is a member publication of University of Pittsburgh

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/79850, first published .
Laptop screen displaying ChatGPT interface with examples, capabilities, and limitations.

The Effectiveness of AI Chatbots in Alleviating Mental Distress and Promoting Health Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The Effectiveness of AI Chatbots in Alleviating Mental Distress and Promoting Health Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Authors of this article:

Xinyu Feng1 Author Orcid Image ;   Lidan Tian1 Author Orcid Image ;   Grace W K Ho1 Author Orcid Image ;   Janelle Yorke1 Author Orcid Image ;   Vivian Hui1, 2 Author Orcid Image
Article Authors Cited by (36) Tweetations (2) Metrics

Journals

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  13. Bernaerts S, Buelens F, De Witte N, Balaskas A, Colman T, Van Daele T. Exploring Real-World Use of AI Chatbots for Mental Health Support: Cross-Sectional Survey Study. JMIR Mental Health 2026;13:e104316 View
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  15. Entenberg G. Debate: Conversational AI and young people's mental health – friend or foe? – conversational AI and young people's mental health: the case for clinically informed design. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2026;31(3):238 View
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  17. Sharp G, Marini S, Tam E, Hu H. Body Image and Eating Disorder Education Chatbot, JEM, in Australia and Canada: First 6-Month Real-World Survey Evaluation. JMIR Human Factors 2026;13:e90783 View
  18. Morales I, Marti-Estevez I, Doval S, Gutiérrez J, Fausor R, Arribas-García S, Álvarez-Mon M, Quintero J. Effectiveness of Chatbots in Mental Health Screening and Assessment: A Systematic Review (Preprint). JMIR Mental Health 2026 View
  19. Mokhtar D, Wang H, Garland E, Shakya D, Occhino-Moede L, Liu X, Frank A. Perspectives of Individuals With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder on the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Therapy and Treatment: Thematic Qualitative Study. Journal of Participatory Medicine 2026;18:e98822 View
  20. Paschke K. Instagram, TikTok, ChatGPT & Co.: Soziale Medien, Chatbots und psychische Kinder- und Jugendgesundheit. Monatsschrift Kinderheilkunde 2026;174(9):740 View
  21. Gruber E, Biočina S. Chronic Workplace Interpersonal Trauma with Acute Psychological Manifestations: A Case Report Integrating Clinical Models and AI-Assisted Structured Reflective Digital Support. Archives of Trauma and Emergency Medicine 2026;2(1):10 View
  22. Fuentes‐Balderrama J, Zhong H, Cárdenas M, Ayala S, Velasco S, Cui J. AI‐Caramba: The Experience of Mothers in Central Texas With BRAT, a Parenting AI Chatbot. Child & Family Social Work 2026 View
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  26. Hatfield S, Tamm J. Measuring the Impact of AI-Driven Well-Being Apps—Instrument Development and Pilot Evidence from the Malu Prototype. Theoretical and Applied Ergonomics 2026;2(3):17 View
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Conference Proceedings

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