Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbot for Anxiety and Depression in University Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
An Argentina-based pilot randomized controlled trial replicating the earlier Tess conversational-agent intervention for anxiety and depression in university students, comparing an 8-week Tess intervention against a psychoeducational book control condition.
Key Findings
- Pilot RCT of 181 Argentine university students over 8 weeks found no statistically significant difference between the Tess chatbot condition and a psychoeducational book control condition
- A notable null-result replication of the original 2018 US-based Tess RCT (already held in this library), serving as a calibration counterpoint against overclaiming conversational-AI mental-health efficacy
- One of the earliest Latin America-based clinical evaluations of a conversational-AI mental-health intervention
Methodology Notes
Pilot randomized controlled trial, 181 university students in Argentina, 8-week intervention period comparing Tess against a psychoeducational book control (not a no-treatment control). Conducted by CONICET/Universidad Adventista del Plata researchers in collaboration with the original Tess/X2AI team.
Sources
PubMed Central (primary)
Archived snapshot (Wayback Machine) — preserved against link rot
Authors
Maria Carolina Klos, Milagros Escoredo, Angela Joerin, Viviana Noemí Lemos, Michiel Rauws, Eduardo L Bunge
Tags
Cite This
APA
Maria Carolina Klos et al. (2021). Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbot for Anxiety and Depression in University Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Formative Research. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8391753/