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Aghakhani S, Carre N, Mostovoy K, Shafer R, Baeza-Hernandez K, Entenberg G, Testerman A, Bunge EL. Qualitative analysis of mental health conversational agents messages about autism spectrum disorder: a call for action. Front Digit Health 2023; 5:1251016. [PMID: 38116099 PMCID: PMC10728644 DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2023.1251016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Conversational agents (CA's) have shown promise in increasing accessibility to mental health resources. This study aimed to identify common themes of messages sent to a mental health CA (Wysa) related to ASD by general users and users that identify as having ASD. Methods This study utilized retrospective data. Two thematic analyses were conducted, one focusing on user messages including the keywords (e.g., ASD, autism, Asperger), and the second one with messages from users who self-identified as having ASD. Results For the sample of general users, the most frequent themes were "others having ASD," "ASD diagnosis," and "seeking help." For the users that self-identified as having ASD (n = 277), the most frequent themes were "ASD diagnosis or symptoms," "negative reaction from others," and "positive comments." There were 3,725 emotion words mentioned by users who self-identified as having ASD. The majority had negative valence (80.3%), and few were positive (14.8%) or ambivalent (4.9%). Conclusion Users shared their experiences and emotions surrounding ASD with a mental health CA. Users asked about the ASD diagnosis, sought help, and reported negative reactions from others. CA's have the potential to become a source of support for those interested in ASD and/or identify as having ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Aghakhani
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - N. Carre
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - K. Mostovoy
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - R. Shafer
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - K. Baeza-Hernandez
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | | | - A. Testerman
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - E. L. Bunge
- Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
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Entenberg GA, Dosovitsky G, Aghakhani S, Mostovoy K, Carre N, Marshall Z, Benfica D, Mizrahi S, Testerman A, Rousseau A, Lin G, Bunge EL. User experience with a parenting chatbot micro intervention. Front Digit Health 2023; 4:989022. [PMID: 36714612 PMCID: PMC9874295 DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2022.989022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The use of chatbots to address mental health conditions have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, few studies aimed to teach parenting skills through chatbots, and there are no reports on parental user experience. Aim: This study aimed to assess the user experience of a parenting chatbot micro intervention to teach how to praise children in a Spanish-speaking country. Methods A sample of 89 parents were assigned to the chatbot micro intervention as part of a randomized controlled trial study. Completion rates, engagement, satisfaction, net promoter score, and acceptability were analyzed. Results 66.3% of the participants completed the intervention. Participants exchanged an average of 49.8 messages (SD = 1.53), provided an average satisfaction score of 4.19 (SD = .79), and reported that they would recommend the chatbot to other parents (net promoter score = 4.63/5; SD = .66). Acceptability level was high (ease of use = 4.66 [SD = .73]; comfortability = 4.76 [SD = .46]; lack of technical problems = 4.69 [SD = .59]; interactivity = 4.51 [SD = .77]; usefulness for everyday life = 4.75 [SD = .54]). Conclusions Overall, users completed the intervention at a high rate, engaged with the chatbot, were satisfied, would recommend it to others, and reported a high level of acceptability. Chatbots have the potential to teach parenting skills however research on the efficacy of parenting chatbot interventions is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. A. Entenberg
- Research Department, Fundación ETCI, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Correspondence: G. A. Entenberg E. L. Bunge
| | - G. Dosovitsky
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - S. Aghakhani
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - K. Mostovoy
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - N. Carre
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Z. Marshall
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - D. Benfica
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - S. Mizrahi
- Research Department, Fundación ETCI, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - A. Testerman
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - A. Rousseau
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - G. Lin
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - E. L. Bunge
- Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology Lab (CAPT), Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States,Department of Psychology, International Institute for Internet Interventions i4Health, Palo Alto, CA, United States,Correspondence: G. A. Entenberg E. L. Bunge
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