Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot study
BackgroundPediatric and adolescent/young adult (AYA) cancer patients face profound psychological challenges, exacerbated by limited access to continuous mental health support. While conventional therapeutic interventions often follow structured protocols, the potential of generative artificial intel...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Digital Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1543543/full |
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| author | Joe Hasei Mana Hanzawa Akihito Nagano Naoko Maeda Shinichirou Yoshida Makoto Endo Nobuhiko Yokoyama Motoharu Ochi Hisashi Ishida Hideki Katayama Tomohiro Fujiwara Eiji Nakata Ryuichi Nakahara Toshiyuki Kunisada Hirokazu Tsukahara Toshifumi Ozaki |
| author_facet | Joe Hasei Mana Hanzawa Akihito Nagano Naoko Maeda Shinichirou Yoshida Makoto Endo Nobuhiko Yokoyama Motoharu Ochi Hisashi Ishida Hideki Katayama Tomohiro Fujiwara Eiji Nakata Ryuichi Nakahara Toshiyuki Kunisada Hirokazu Tsukahara Toshifumi Ozaki |
| author_sort | Joe Hasei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundPediatric and adolescent/young adult (AYA) cancer patients face profound psychological challenges, exacerbated by limited access to continuous mental health support. While conventional therapeutic interventions often follow structured protocols, the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to provide continuous conversational support remains unexplored. This study evaluates the feasibility and impact of AI chatbots in alleviating psychological distress and enhancing treatment engagement in this vulnerable population.MethodsTwo age-appropriate AI chatbots, leveraging GPT-4, were developed to provide natural, empathetic conversations without structured therapeutic protocols. Five pediatric and AYA cancer patients participated in a two-week intervention, engaging with the chatbots via a messaging platform. Pre- and post-intervention anxiety and stress levels were self-reported, and usage patterns were analyzed to assess the chatbots’ effectiveness.ResultsFour out of five participants reported significant reductions in anxiety and stress levels post-intervention. Participants engaged with the chatbot every 2–3 days, with sessions lasting approximately 10 min. All participants noted improved treatment motivation, with 80% disclosing personal concerns to the chatbot they had not shared with healthcare providers. The 24/7 availability particularly benefited patients experiencing nighttime anxiety.ConclusionsThis pilot study demonstrates the potential of generative AI chatbots to complement traditional mental health services by addressing unmet psychological needs in pediatric and AYA cancer patients. The findings suggest these tools can serve as accessible, continuous support systems. Further large-scale studies are warranted to validate these promising results. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d706319b8de74f09999964637ff2e89e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-253X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-d706319b8de74f09999964637ff2e89e2025-08-20T02:15:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Digital Health2673-253X2025-02-01710.3389/fdgth.2025.15435431543543Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot studyJoe Hasei0Mana Hanzawa1Akihito Nagano2Naoko Maeda3Shinichirou Yoshida4Makoto Endo5Nobuhiko Yokoyama6Motoharu Ochi7Hisashi Ishida8Hideki Katayama9Tomohiro Fujiwara10Eiji Nakata11Ryuichi Nakahara12Toshiyuki Kunisada13Hirokazu Tsukahara14Toshifumi Ozaki15Department of Medical Information and Assistive Technology Development, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, JapanDepartment of Pediatrics, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, JapanDepartment of Pediatrics, NHO National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, JapanDepartment of Pediatrics, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, JapanDepartment of Pediatrics, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, JapanDepartment of Palliative and Supportive Care, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, JapanScience of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, JapanScience of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, JapanScience of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, JapanScience of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, JapanDepartment of Pediatrics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, JapanScience of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, JapanBackgroundPediatric and adolescent/young adult (AYA) cancer patients face profound psychological challenges, exacerbated by limited access to continuous mental health support. While conventional therapeutic interventions often follow structured protocols, the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots to provide continuous conversational support remains unexplored. This study evaluates the feasibility and impact of AI chatbots in alleviating psychological distress and enhancing treatment engagement in this vulnerable population.MethodsTwo age-appropriate AI chatbots, leveraging GPT-4, were developed to provide natural, empathetic conversations without structured therapeutic protocols. Five pediatric and AYA cancer patients participated in a two-week intervention, engaging with the chatbots via a messaging platform. Pre- and post-intervention anxiety and stress levels were self-reported, and usage patterns were analyzed to assess the chatbots’ effectiveness.ResultsFour out of five participants reported significant reductions in anxiety and stress levels post-intervention. Participants engaged with the chatbot every 2–3 days, with sessions lasting approximately 10 min. All participants noted improved treatment motivation, with 80% disclosing personal concerns to the chatbot they had not shared with healthcare providers. The 24/7 availability particularly benefited patients experiencing nighttime anxiety.ConclusionsThis pilot study demonstrates the potential of generative AI chatbots to complement traditional mental health services by addressing unmet psychological needs in pediatric and AYA cancer patients. The findings suggest these tools can serve as accessible, continuous support systems. Further large-scale studies are warranted to validate these promising results.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1543543/fullgenerative AI chatbotlarge language modelpediatric canceradolescent and young adult (AYA)psychological support |
| spellingShingle | Joe Hasei Mana Hanzawa Akihito Nagano Naoko Maeda Shinichirou Yoshida Makoto Endo Nobuhiko Yokoyama Motoharu Ochi Hisashi Ishida Hideki Katayama Tomohiro Fujiwara Eiji Nakata Ryuichi Nakahara Toshiyuki Kunisada Hirokazu Tsukahara Toshifumi Ozaki Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot study Frontiers in Digital Health generative AI chatbot large language model pediatric cancer adolescent and young adult (AYA) psychological support |
| title | Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot study |
| title_full | Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot study |
| title_fullStr | Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot study |
| title_short | Empowering pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative AI chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement: a pilot study |
| title_sort | empowering pediatric adolescent and young adult patients with cancer utilizing generative ai chatbots to reduce psychological burden and enhance treatment engagement a pilot study |
| topic | generative AI chatbot large language model pediatric cancer adolescent and young adult (AYA) psychological support |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1543543/full |
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