Articlegold2024

Artificial intelligence as a virtual coach in a cognitive behavioural intervention for perfectionism in young people: A randomised feasibility trial

Catherine Johnson · Sarah Jane Egan · Per Carlbring · Roz Shafran · Tracey D. Wade

9 citations0/0 files storedInternet Interventions

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Digital Mental Health Interventions Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies

Abstract

We examined the feasibility and outcomes of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a virtual coach in guided self-help (GSH-AI) compared to pure self-help (PSH). Participants ( N = 85 undergraduate university students; M age = 20.65 years [ SD = 2.38]; 84 % female) were randomised to PSH ( N = 42) or GSH-AI ( N = 43). The intervention was a brief 11-module online cognitive behaviour therapy for perfectionism intervention completed over 4-weeks. GSH-AI participants were given suggested questions to ask AI for guidance in completing the intervention. Data were collected at baseline, 4- and 8-weeks post-randomisation. Engagement was good, only one person in each group did not use any modules; module completion was equivalent across conditions (6.67, SD = 3.22 and 6.18, SD = 3.42 respectively). Between baseline and post-intervention people in the GSH-AI condition showed an almost 3.5 times increase in preferring support to be received from AI versus other modes of support. Only 52 % and 22 % of participants completed 4- and 8-week post-randomisation surveys, with no differences in psychological outcomes between the PSH and GSH-AI groups. Main effects of time indicated moderate to large within-group effect size improvements for disordered eating, stress, anxiety, and perfectionism. Qualitative feedback indicated that AI was initially acceptable as a guide and became even more acceptable after it had been experienced. Fully powered trials are required to determine the impact of AI guidance on outcomes, and whether type of AI platform (customised versus generic) and type of mental health disorder interact with its effects. • We examined the feasibility of AI-guided internet CBT for perfectionism. • Barriers included lack of AI familiarity and the impersonal nature of responses. • Facilitators included ease of gaining valuable, confidential, tailored information. • Preference for AI support increased strongly after experiencing it. • The addition of generic AI support did not improve psychological outcomes.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 9 citations exist upstream.

References

2001The PHQ-9 2006A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder 1995Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. 2 2005The short‐form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS‐21): Construct validity and normative data in a large non‐clinical sample 2022Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide 1990The dimensions of perfectionism 1997Psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) in clinical samples 2017Mental health problems in college freshmen: Prevalence and academic functioning

Cited by

2026ChatGPT as a mental health advisory service: Comparing evaluations from youth and health professionals 2026Cultural Relevance and Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques Adapted by AI or a Human Psychologist: Experimental Study

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.