A Virtual Peer Agent for Counseling Adolescents With Stressful Life Events

Over the past decade, mental health issues among adolescents have become increasingly prevalent. Approximately 14% of adolescents globally suffer from conditions like depression and anxiety. Adolescence is a critical developmental period, and mental health problems during this stage can have long-term negative impacts on relationships, academic performance, and future careers. However, due to factors such as cost, accessibility, and social stigma, many adolescents struggle to access timely and effective professional psychological services. In recent years, AI-based conversational agents have emerged as a potential solution. For some sensitive adolescents who are reluctant to confide in others or resistant to professional counseling, an anonymous, non-judgmental virtual conversational partner may serve as a lower-threshold avenue for them to open up and seek emotional support. Against this backdrop, this study aims to develop and evaluate a virtual companion agent specifically designed for adolescents. A minimum of 35 participants are required to complete all study procedures. Accounting for an estimated attrition rate of 20%, a total of 50 eligible adolescent participants will be enrolled. Participants will engage in a series of structured conversational interactions with the agent over 4 weeks and undergo multiple psychological assessments before, during, and after the intervention.