Aug 2026· Proceedings of Mensch und Computer 2026· 0 citations· 19 references
TL;DR
While ChatGPT was primarily viewed as an efficient tool in a work context, the quantitative survey reveals a weakly significant correlation between psychological stress and openness toward the social-emotional use of chatbots.
Abstract
English: In light of the rising mental health challenges faced by young adults and the growing prevalence of generative AI, this study examines publicly available chatbots, i.e. ChatGPT, as a source of emotional support. The central question was: To what extent - beyond mere functional utility - can digital closeness between the user and the AI arise, and under what conditions are users willing to trust the system. The study followed a mixed-methods approach. First, a quantitative online survey (N = 235) was used to assess usage motives, technology acceptance, and core needs. Building on this, a qualitative study was conducted with eight participants, who engaged in two chat interactions with ChatGPT in the context of personal psychological distress. These dialogues were evaluated using mini-scales, supplemented by a concluding semi-structured interview to reflect on the experience. While ChatGPT was primarily viewed as an efficient tool in a work context, the quantitative survey reveals a weakly significant correlation between psychological stress and openness toward the social-emotional use of chatbots. However, actual use in sensitive topics was hindered by data security and other concerns.
Background: AI chatbots are becoming a cultural trend among adolescents as a type of emotional support which is not yet properly understood when it comes to family attachment mechanisms. This research examined the relationship between the use of AI chatbot by adolescents as a source of emotional support and feelings of parent child attachment security. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study utilised the simulated data (N = 400) with the population parameters in terms of national surveys. Participants were adolescents aged 13-18 years (M = 15.49, SD = 1.69; 43.3% female). The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) total score, an AI Emotional Support Scale (0-20), UCLA Loneliness Scale, PHQ-2 depression screener were included as the measures. Hierarchical linear regression was used to analyse the data in SPSS. Results: The relationship between the use of AI chatbots as an emotional support and parent-child attachment security (β = -.978, p < .001), forecasting 95.7 percent of variance. This connection proved to be important even when demographics (β = -.970) and psychosocial covariates (β = -.755) were put in to control. Teens who reported using AI due to the reason that “family doesn’t understand” reported much lower levels of attachment security (Mean Difference = -35.98, p <.001). The adolescents (younger ones 13-15 years old) had a higher AI use and lower attachment protection in contrast to the older adolescents. Conclusions: There is a negative association between the use of AI chatbots for emotional support and parent-child attachment security. All these data suggest that AI could be utilized as figures of reparations attachment on teenagers with strained family relationships.
Chen Xiao· Advances in Engineering Tech...· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Amid growing concerns surrounding social isolation among older adults, AI chatbots have emerged as promising tools for providing digital companionship. While the intersection of aging and technology has been widely explored, there remains a gap in understanding the nuanced ways in which AI chatbots function as relational partners in older adults' daily lives.
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to examine the roles of the AI chatbot in fostering digital companionship for adults in later life.
METHODS
Drawing on a qualitative research design, the study conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with individuals in later life who regularly engaged with AI chatbots. Thematic analysis method was used to synthesize the qualitative data.
RESULTS
Participants described the AI chatbot as multifaceted relational agents-occupying roles such as human-like companions, supportive teachers, specialized consultants, practical assistants, and entertainment facilitators. These interactions were reported to support emotional well-being, enhance cognitive engagement, and promote a sense of self-efficacy in daily living.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings illuminate the profound and diverse ways in which AI chatbots are integrated into the everyday lives of older users, extending far beyond utilitarian functions. As conversational AI continues to advance, designers and policymakers should acknowledge its potential to support aging in place by fostering connection, engagement, and autonomy among older populations.
Yijin Wu, Fengbo Jiao, Haokun Wang et al.· The gerontologist· 0 citations
With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, AI tools like ChatGPT have gradually become a part of the life of students in universities. Previous research has mainly addressed the functional aspects of AI, such as information retrieval and academic support, but the socio-emotional and personalized aspects of AI, and how these shape users’ continued usage behaviour. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of academic support, emotional support, and perceived personalisation on students’ continuance intention toward ChatGPT, with perceived trust acting as a mediating mechanism. This research grounded by the Expectation-Confirmation Theory and Information Systems Continuance Model by incorporating two additional variables: perceived personalisation and academic support and emotional support as antecedents of students’ continuance intention toward ChatGPT. This quantitative study used an online survey to collect data from 263 university students. The proposed model was analysed using SmartPLS-SEM to examine both direct and indirect relationships, with perceived trust specified as a mediating variable. The structural model indicates that academic support and emotional support have significant direct effects on continuance intention. Although perceived personalisation positively influences user trust, its direct effect on continuance intention is not significant. Instead, perceived trust fully mediates this relationship, indicating that personalisation alone does not directly drive continued use unless it first builds user trust. These findings highlight the critical role of trust as a psychological mechanism through which AI personalisation translates into sustained user engagement. The study contributes to the literature on human–AI interaction by integrating cognitive, emotional, and personalisation dimensions within a unified continuance framework. Practically, the results suggest that AI developers should prioritise trust-building mechanisms when designing personalised and emotionally supportive systems to ensure long-term user adoption, particularly in educational contexts.
P. Muthurajan, Hashima Mohaini Mohammad, Nur Afni Halil et al.· International Journal of Mod...· 0 citations
The development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the way individuals interact, obtain information, and build social experiences in the digital space. The emergence of AI chatbots that are increasingly responsive, personalized, and adaptive means that this technology is no longer used merely as a tool for information retrieval, but also as a medium for personal communication and an emotional companion. Among young adults, AI chatbots are utilized for various purposes, such as sharing personal experiences, seeking emotional support, engaging in self-disclosure, and fostering companionship in everyday interactions. This phenomenon indicates the emergence of a new form of communication involving relationships between humans and artificial agents. This study aims to analyze the use of AI chatbots among young adults and its implications for digital communication practices. The study employs a qualitative descriptive method using a digital case documentation approach. Data were collected from various records of AI chatbot usage found in digital forums, social media, and relevant scientific publications, and were then analyzed using thematic analysis to identify usage patterns, forms of interaction, and emerging implications. The results indicate that the use of AI chatbots among young adults has shifted in function from an information tool to a personal communication medium used for companionship, emotional support, and self-disclosure. The findings also show that the AI’s responsive, adaptive, and always-available characteristics influence how users build interactions with the technology. This study concludes that the evolution of human–AI communication represents the emergence of new digital communication practices that expand the role of AI from a mere technological tool to an agent participating in users’ communication experiences. These findings reinforce the Human–AI Communication perspective and demonstrate the relevance of the Parasocial- -Interaction Theory in explaining the emotional closeness that develops in human–AI interactions.
Faza An’imah, Fitriana Ulya, Luluk Ridotuljana et al.· International journal of res...· 0 citations
The rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday communication has changed the way people, and students in particular, seek emotional support and companionship. College life brings its own share of academic pressure, emotional instability, social comparison, and mental health strain, and a growing number of students are turning to AI chatbots as an additional emotional outlet alongside their human friendships. This paper looks specifically at how students weigh AI chatbots against human friends when they need emotional support. A descriptive research design was used, drawing on both primary and secondary data. Primary data came from a structured questionnaire completed by 200 respondents, most of them students based in Ludhiana, Punjab, while secondary data was drawn from academic journals, psychological research, and existing literature on emotional wellbeing and digital communication. The results show that students value AI chatbots for being instantly available, non-judgmental, private, and emotionally consistent, and they lean on these systems for stress relief, emotional expression, and a fresh perspective during anxious or academically demanding periods. Human friends, however, still lead by a wide margin when it comes to emotional authenticity, trust, empathy, bonding, and long-term psychological reassurance. Overall, the study suggests that AI chatbots work best as a complement to human relationships rather than a substitute for them. What appears to be emerging instead is a hybrid emotional support ecosystem, in which AI helps with day-to-day emotional regulation while human friendships continue to anchor deeper emotional connection and stability. These findings add to the ongoing conversation about the behavioural and emotional consequences of AI-mediated interaction among students, and point to the need for thoughtful, responsible integration of AI within educational and emotional support settings.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI Chatbots, Emotional Support, Student Mental Health, Human Friends, Digital Companionship, Student Behaviour
Urvashi Chhabra Urvashi Chhabra· International Journal of Cre...· 0 citations
As the use of ChatGPT continues to expand, understanding its impact on users remains an emerging area of study. This research investigates how individuals form a sense of identity around ChatGPT, applying the information technology (IT) identity framework, with an added outcomes component, to assess the psychological relationship users develop with the tool.
A survey of 312 active ChatGPT users was conducted to evaluate the framework’s applicability in this context and to explore the resulting behavioral and experiential outcomes. The model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling.
The results provide partial support for the IT identity framework in the ChatGPT context. The analysis indicates that regular interaction with ChatGPT is associated with the development of a distinct IT identity. Moreover, the presence of sufficient resources and organizational or contextual support significantly moderates this relationship, shaping user behaviors in meaningful ways. These behaviors, in turn, were linked to improvements in both individual performance and perceived social well-being. The findings also suggest that some relationships established in traditional IT contexts may operate differently in generative AI environments.
By extending the IT identity framework to include specific outcome measures, this study offers a nuanced understanding of how AI-based tools like ChatGPT influence user identity and behavior based on the IT identity framework. The findings further contribute to understanding how AI-related identities form and highlight opportunities for refining IT identity theory in the context of generative AI assistants.
Sofia Godinho, Tiago Oliveira, Catarina Neves· Journal of Enterprise Inform...· 0 citations
A new method for surgically removing training examples from a model reveals that as datasets grow, the link between what a model learns and what it produces dissolves.
