What does this research mean for the field?

Generative AI mental health chatbots generally yield moderate-to-high usability, therapeutic alliance, and user satisfaction, though user engagement frequently declines over time due to limited interactivity and trust erosion from inaccurate outputs. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This review aims to consolidate evidence on the design and user experience of generative AI mental health chatbots.

July 26, 2026npj Digital MedicineOpen Access

Generative AI mental health chatbots: a scoping review of intervention design and user experience

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Authors

LOLotenna OlisaelokaUniversity of British Columbia CRChris G. RichardsonUniversity of British Columbia AWAngel Y WangUniversity of British Columbia

Discussion

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Implication

Scoping review maps intervention design and user experience outcomes in mental health chatbots, suggesting improvements.

Key Points

This review aims to consolidate evidence on the design and user experience of generative AI mental health chatbots.
Conducted a systematic search across seven databases, yielding 21 studies from 1899 articles.
Focused on intervention characteristics and user experience of chatbots designed for mental health support.
Included studies published between 2023 and 2025, with most interventions based on cognitive behavioral therapy.
User experience outcomes showed moderate-to-high usability and user satisfaction related to convenience and empathy.
Engagement declined over time due to limited interactivity and loss of trust from inaccurate outputs.
Identified features important for UX included adaptive tailoring, domain knowledge grounding, and structured delivery.

Cite This Study

Olisaeloka et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a65a337d3aea3239cd7665f https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02972-0

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Generative AI mental health chatbots: a scoping review of intervention design and user experience

Discussion

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Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Generative AI mental health chatbots: a scoping review of intervention design and user experience

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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