TY  - JOUR
AU  - Chen, Chen
AU  - Lam, Kok Tai
AU  - Yip, Ka Man
AU  - So, Hung Kwan
AU  - Lum, Terry Yat Sang
AU  - Wong, Ian Chi Kei
AU  - Yam, Jason C
AU  - Chui, Celine Sze Ling
AU  - Ip, Patrick
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/3/6
TI  - Comparison of an AI Chatbot With a Nurse Hotline in Reducing Anxiety and Depression Levels in the General Population: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
JO  - JMIR Hum Factors
SP  - e65785
VL  - 12
KW  - AI chatbot
KW  - anxiety
KW  - depression
KW  - effectiveness
KW  - artificial intelligence
AB  - Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have been customized to deliver on-demand support for people with mental health problems. However, the effectiveness of AI chatbots in tackling mental health problems among the general public in Hong Kong remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to develop a local AI chatbot and compare the effectiveness of the AI chatbot with a conventional nurse hotline in reducing the level of anxiety and depression among individuals in Hong Kong. Methods: This study was a pilot randomized controlled trial conducted from October 2022 to March 2023, involving 124 participants allocated randomly (1:1 ratio) into the AI chatbot and nurse hotline groups. Among these, 62 participants in the AI chatbot group and 41 in the nurse hotline group completed both the pre- and postquestionnaires, including the GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7), PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and satisfaction questionnaire. Comparisons were conducted using independent and paired sample t tests (2-tailed) and the χ2 test to analyze changes in anxiety and depression levels. Results: Compared to the mean baseline score of 5.13 (SD 4.623), the mean postdepression score in the chatbot group was 3.68 (SD 4.397), which was significantly lower (P=.008). Similarly, a reduced anxiety score was also observed after the chatbot test (pre vs post: mean 4.74, SD 4.742 vs mean 3.4, SD 3.748; P=.005), respectively. No significant differences were found in the pre-post scores for either depression (P=.38) or anxiety (P=.19). No statistically significant difference was observed in service satisfaction between the two platforms (P=.32). Conclusions: The AI chatbot was comparable to the traditional nurse hotline in alleviating participants’ anxiety and depression after responding to inquiries. Moreover, the AI chatbot has shown potential in alleviating short-term anxiety and depression compared to the nurse hotline. While the AI chatbot presents a promising solution for offering accessible strategies to the public, more extensive randomized controlled studies are necessary to further validate its effectiveness. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06621134; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06621134 
SN  - 2292-9495
UR  - https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e65785
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/65785
DO  - 10.2196/65785
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/65785
ER  -