Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">The global shortage of mental health workers has prompted the utilization of technological advancements, such as chatbots, to meet the needs of people with mental health conditions. Chatbots are systems that are able to converse and interac...
محفوظ في:
| المؤلف الرئيسي: | |
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| مؤلفون آخرون: | , , , |
| منشور في: |
2020
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| الموضوعات: | |
| الوسوم: |
إضافة وسم
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| _version_ | 1864513525406236672 |
|---|---|
| author | Alaa Ali Abd-Alrazaq (18102661) |
| author2 | Asma Rababeh (18102664) Mohannad Alajlani (9392676) Bridgette M Bewick (18102667) Mowafa Househ (9154124) |
| author2_role | author author author author |
| author_facet | Alaa Ali Abd-Alrazaq (18102661) Asma Rababeh (18102664) Mohannad Alajlani (9392676) Bridgette M Bewick (18102667) Mowafa Househ (9154124) |
| author_role | author |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv | Alaa Ali Abd-Alrazaq (18102661) Asma Rababeh (18102664) Mohannad Alajlani (9392676) Bridgette M Bewick (18102667) Mowafa Househ (9154124) |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv | 2020-07-13T03:00:00Z |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv | 10.2196/16021 |
| dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv | https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Effectiveness_and_Safety_of_Using_Chatbots_to_Improve_Mental_Health_Systematic_Review_and_Meta-Analysis/25340344 |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv | CC BY 4.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv | Health sciences Health services and systems chatbots conversational agents mental health mental disorders depression anxiety effectiveness safety |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv | Text Journal contribution info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion text contribution to journal |
| description | <h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">The global shortage of mental health workers has prompted the utilization of technological advancements, such as chatbots, to meet the needs of people with mental health conditions. Chatbots are systems that are able to converse and interact with human users using spoken, written, and visual language. While numerous studies have assessed the effectiveness and safety of using chatbots in mental health, no reviews have pooled the results of those studies.</p><h3>Objective</h3><p dir="ltr">This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of using chatbots to improve mental health through summarizing and pooling the results of previous studies.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">A systematic review was carried out to achieve this objective. The search sources were 7 bibliographic databases (eg, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO), the search engine “Google Scholar,” and backward and forward reference list checking of the included studies and relevant reviews. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted data from the included studies, and assessed the risk of bias. Data extracted from studies were synthesized using narrative and statistical methods, as appropriate.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Of 1048 citations retrieved, we identified 12 studies examining the effect of using chatbots on 8 outcomes. Weak evidence demonstrated that chatbots were effective in improving depression, distress, stress, and acrophobia. In contrast, according to similar evidence, there was no statistically significant effect of using chatbots on subjective psychological wellbeing. Results were conflicting regarding the effect of chatbots on the severity of anxiety and positive and negative affect. Only two studies assessed the safety of chatbots and concluded that they are safe in mental health, as no adverse events or harms were reported.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p dir="ltr">Chatbots have the potential to improve mental health. However, the evidence in this review was not sufficient to definitely conclude this due to lack of evidence that their effect is clinically important, a lack of studies assessing each outcome, high risk of bias in those studies, and conflicting results for some outcomes. Further studies are required to draw solid conclusions about the effectiveness and safety of chatbots.</p><h3>Trial Registration</h3><p dir="ltr">PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42019141219; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019141219</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/16021" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/16021</a></p> |
| eu_rights_str_mv | openAccess |
| id | Manara2_002145a076a0faee8a1ac9e25b3fffc4 |
| identifier_str_mv | 10.2196/16021 |
| network_acronym_str | Manara2 |
| network_name_str | Manara2 |
| oai_identifier_str | oai:figshare.com:article/25340344 |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| repository.mail.fl_str_mv | |
| repository.name.fl_str_mv | |
| repository_id_str | |
| rights_invalid_str_mv | CC BY 4.0 |
| spelling | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisAlaa Ali Abd-Alrazaq (18102661)Asma Rababeh (18102664)Mohannad Alajlani (9392676)Bridgette M Bewick (18102667)Mowafa Househ (9154124)Health sciencesHealth services and systemschatbotsconversational agentsmental healthmental disordersdepressionanxietyeffectivenesssafety<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">The global shortage of mental health workers has prompted the utilization of technological advancements, such as chatbots, to meet the needs of people with mental health conditions. Chatbots are systems that are able to converse and interact with human users using spoken, written, and visual language. While numerous studies have assessed the effectiveness and safety of using chatbots in mental health, no reviews have pooled the results of those studies.</p><h3>Objective</h3><p dir="ltr">This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of using chatbots to improve mental health through summarizing and pooling the results of previous studies.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">A systematic review was carried out to achieve this objective. The search sources were 7 bibliographic databases (eg, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO), the search engine “Google Scholar,” and backward and forward reference list checking of the included studies and relevant reviews. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted data from the included studies, and assessed the risk of bias. Data extracted from studies were synthesized using narrative and statistical methods, as appropriate.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Of 1048 citations retrieved, we identified 12 studies examining the effect of using chatbots on 8 outcomes. Weak evidence demonstrated that chatbots were effective in improving depression, distress, stress, and acrophobia. In contrast, according to similar evidence, there was no statistically significant effect of using chatbots on subjective psychological wellbeing. Results were conflicting regarding the effect of chatbots on the severity of anxiety and positive and negative affect. Only two studies assessed the safety of chatbots and concluded that they are safe in mental health, as no adverse events or harms were reported.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p dir="ltr">Chatbots have the potential to improve mental health. However, the evidence in this review was not sufficient to definitely conclude this due to lack of evidence that their effect is clinically important, a lack of studies assessing each outcome, high risk of bias in those studies, and conflicting results for some outcomes. Further studies are required to draw solid conclusions about the effectiveness and safety of chatbots.</p><h3>Trial Registration</h3><p dir="ltr">PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42019141219; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019141219</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/16021" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.2196/16021</a></p>2020-07-13T03:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.2196/16021https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Effectiveness_and_Safety_of_Using_Chatbots_to_Improve_Mental_Health_Systematic_Review_and_Meta-Analysis/25340344CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/253403442020-07-13T03:00:00Z |
| spellingShingle | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Alaa Ali Abd-Alrazaq (18102661) Health sciences Health services and systems chatbots conversational agents mental health mental disorders depression anxiety effectiveness safety |
| status_str | publishedVersion |
| title | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_full | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_short | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| title_sort | Effectiveness and Safety of Using Chatbots to Improve Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| topic | Health sciences Health services and systems chatbots conversational agents mental health mental disorders depression anxiety effectiveness safety |