Associations of Generative AI Use for Health Issues With Anxiety and Depression
Cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of 96,205 US college students testing whether using generative AI for health issues is associated with screening positive for clinically significant anxiety and depression. Complex-samples logistic regression adjusted for demographics found higher odds of both outcomes among students who used generative AI for health issues. The associations held in sensitivity analyses controlling for prior diagnoses.
Publisher
Journal of Counseling & Development (Wiley, for the American Counseling Association); University of Florida-led
Published
16 Sept 2026
Added
today
Key Findings
- Students who used generative AI for health issues had higher adjusted odds of screening positive for clinically significant anxiety (aOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.34-1.73) and depression (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.28-1.67).
- The associations remained consistent after controlling for prior anxiety and depression diagnoses.
- The university's release reports that about 52% of users screened positive for anxiety versus about 43% of non-users, and about 47% versus 38% for depression.
- The authors interpret use of generative AI for health issues as a possible marker of anxiety and depression among college students, relevant to how counselors assess clients.
Methodology Notes
Cross-sectional and observational, so no causal direction can be drawn. Per the University of Florida release (2026-09-25), the data were collected in 2023-2024, early in generative-AI adoption. The source survey is not named in the Crossref abstract; the '96,205 nationally representative college students' frame is consistent with a national campus mental-health survey but is not confirmed here. Crossref records online publication on 2026-09-16 (record created 2026-09-17). Verified via the Crossref DOI record (title, nine authors with affiliations, full abstract) and the OpenAlex work record (W7213471325). The Wiley full text was not fetched; per the route notes, Wiley is walled.
Sources
Authors
Yusen Zhai, Jusuk Song, Eungyeong Jun, Matthew E. Lemberger-Truelove, Yung-Wei Dennis Lin, Yiying Xiong, Isak Kim, Laura Shannonhouse, Xue Du
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Cite This
APA
Yusen Zhai et al. (2026). Associations of Generative AI Use for Health Issues With Anxiety and Depression. Journal of Counseling & Development (Wiley, for the American Counseling Association); University of Florida-led. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.70064
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