Efficacy, User Engagement, and Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Oriented Psychological Chatbots for Adults With Depressive and/or Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials - Takeaways - MDSpire

Efficacy, User Engagement, and Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Oriented Psychological Chatbots for Adults With Depressive and/or Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

  • By

  • Bingyan Gong

  • Nisha Yao

  • Hangxin Xie

  • Chuncheng Huang

  • Tomoko Kishimoto

  • Howard Berenbaum

  • Wenting Mu

  • May 8, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    Depressive disorders account for the highest global burden of disease among mental disorders, followed by anxiety disorders.

  • 2

    Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most researched psychotherapy for depression and anxiety, but access remains limited.

  • 3

    CBT-oriented psychological chatbots provide structured therapeutic support and have shown mixed results in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms.

  • 4

    This systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy of CBT-oriented chatbots, explore moderators, and assess user engagement and acceptability.

  • 5

    Findings from this study will help advance the development of scalable, evidence-driven chatbots for mental health interventions.

Original Source(s)

Efficacy, User Engagement, and Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Oriented Psychological Chatbots for Adults With Depressive and/or Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

  • by Bingyan Gong, Nisha Yao, Hangxin Xie, Chuncheng Huang, Tomoko Kishimoto, Howard Berenbaum, Wenting Mu

  • May 8, 2026

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