Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potential
Despite the growing adoption of GenAI chatbots in health and well-being contexts, little is known about public attitudes toward their use for relationship support or the factors shaping acceptance and effectiveness. This study aims to address the research gap across three studies. Study 1 involved f...
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000672 |
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| author | Laura M. Vowels Rachel R.R. Francois-Walcott Maëlle Grandjean Joëlle Darwiche Matthew J. Vowels |
| author_facet | Laura M. Vowels Rachel R.R. Francois-Walcott Maëlle Grandjean Joëlle Darwiche Matthew J. Vowels |
| author_sort | Laura M. Vowels |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite the growing adoption of GenAI chatbots in health and well-being contexts, little is known about public attitudes toward their use for relationship support or the factors shaping acceptance and effectiveness. This study aims to address the research gap across three studies. Study 1 involved five focus groups with 30 young people to gauge general attitudes toward GenAI chatbots in relationship contexts. Study 2 evaluated user experiences during a single relationship intervention session with 20 participants. Study 3 quantitatively measured changes in attitudes toward GenAI chatbots and online interventions among 260 participants, assessed before, immediately after, and two weeks following their interaction with a GenAI chatbot or a writing task. Three main themes emerged in Studies 1 and 2: Accessible First-Line Treatment, Artificial Advice for Human Connection, and Internet Archive. Additionally, Study 1 revealed themes of Privacy vs. Openness and Are We in a Black Mirror Episode?, while Study 2 uncovered themes of Exceeding Expectations and Supporting Neurodivergence. The Study 3 results indicated that GenAI chatbot interactions led to reduced effort expectancy and short-term effects in increased acceptance and decreased objections to GenAI chatbots, though these effects were not sustained at a two-week follow-up. Both intervention types improved general attitudes toward online interventions, suggesting that exposure can enhance the uptake of digital health tools. This research underscores the evolving role of GenAI chatbots in augmenting therapeutic practices, highlighting their potential for personalized, accessible, and effective relationship interventions in the digital age. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e25cd63a91d547f7962af1111b3deb45 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2949-8821 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans |
| spelling | doaj-art-e25cd63a91d547f7962af1111b3deb452025-08-20T03:50:21ZengElsevierComputers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans2949-88212025-08-01510018310.1016/j.chbah.2025.100183Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potentialLaura M. Vowels0Rachel R.R. Francois-Walcott1Maëlle Grandjean2Joëlle Darwiche3Matthew J. Vowels4School of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom; FAmily and DevelOpment Research Center (FADO), Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Corresponding author. School of Psychology, University of Roehampton, Whitelands College, London, SW15 4JD, United Kingdom.School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, United KingdomFAmily and DevelOpment Research Center (FADO), Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandFAmily and DevelOpment Research Center (FADO), Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandThe Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland; Radiology Department, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Centre for Vision Speech and Signal Processing, University of Surrey, Guildford, United KingdomDespite the growing adoption of GenAI chatbots in health and well-being contexts, little is known about public attitudes toward their use for relationship support or the factors shaping acceptance and effectiveness. This study aims to address the research gap across three studies. Study 1 involved five focus groups with 30 young people to gauge general attitudes toward GenAI chatbots in relationship contexts. Study 2 evaluated user experiences during a single relationship intervention session with 20 participants. Study 3 quantitatively measured changes in attitudes toward GenAI chatbots and online interventions among 260 participants, assessed before, immediately after, and two weeks following their interaction with a GenAI chatbot or a writing task. Three main themes emerged in Studies 1 and 2: Accessible First-Line Treatment, Artificial Advice for Human Connection, and Internet Archive. Additionally, Study 1 revealed themes of Privacy vs. Openness and Are We in a Black Mirror Episode?, while Study 2 uncovered themes of Exceeding Expectations and Supporting Neurodivergence. The Study 3 results indicated that GenAI chatbot interactions led to reduced effort expectancy and short-term effects in increased acceptance and decreased objections to GenAI chatbots, though these effects were not sustained at a two-week follow-up. Both intervention types improved general attitudes toward online interventions, suggesting that exposure can enhance the uptake of digital health tools. This research underscores the evolving role of GenAI chatbots in augmenting therapeutic practices, highlighting their potential for personalized, accessible, and effective relationship interventions in the digital age.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000672Close relationshipsRelationship interventionsDigital interventionsChatbotsLarge language modelsArtificial intelligence |
| spellingShingle | Laura M. Vowels Rachel R.R. Francois-Walcott Maëlle Grandjean Joëlle Darwiche Matthew J. Vowels Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potential Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans Close relationships Relationship interventions Digital interventions Chatbots Large language models Artificial intelligence |
| title | Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potential |
| title_full | Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potential |
| title_fullStr | Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potential |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potential |
| title_short | Navigating relationships with GenAI chatbots: User attitudes, acceptability, and potential |
| title_sort | navigating relationships with genai chatbots user attitudes acceptability and potential |
| topic | Close relationships Relationship interventions Digital interventions Chatbots Large language models Artificial intelligence |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000672 |
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