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AI chatbot as a mental health ally for teens?

NCT ID NCT07778758

Symptom relief Sponsor: Sun Yat-sen University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 21, 2026 · Last updated Aug 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This trial tests whether a virtual peer agent, VIPeerAgent, can help adolescents and young adults (ages 14-25) who are experiencing psychological distress but do not have a diagnosed mental disorder. Participants will be randomly assigned to chat with the AI agent, receive support from a human peer mentor, or get usual care. The study aims to see if the AI is as good as human support and better than no extra support, measuring outcomes like mental health status, resilience, and coping skills.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
VIPeerAgent, a virtual peer support agent that engages in multi-turn conversations to provide psychological support
What this could lead to
If effective, this could offer a scalable, accessible early intervention for youth mental health, potentially easing distress and building resilience.
What could go wrong
The trial is relatively small and early, and the AI may not match the nuance of human support. Risks include limited generalizability and potential for adverse effects from digital interactions.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 234 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Aug 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

14 to 25 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adolescents and young adults aged 14-25 years. * Experienced at least one moderate or more severe stressful life event within the past 6 months. * Able to read and communicate in Chinese. * Willing to participate in the study and provide informed consent. * Have a BSI-53 score \<63. Exclusion Criteria: * A history of clinically diagnosed severe mental or psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder or schizophrenia. * Current suicidal ideation or suicidal ideation within the past 6 months. * Receipt of professional psychological or psychiatric treatment within the past 12 months.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Psychological Well-Being

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Early intervention Psychological distress in adolescents and young adults Youth mental health

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • School of Nursing, Sun Yat-Sen University

    Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China

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