Effectiveness of AI Chatbots in Improving Students' General Wellbeing

Participants in this arm will complete four 20-minute sessions with an AI-powered chatbot designed to deliver CBT-based emotional wellbeing support. The chatbot provides conversational guidance using techniques such as cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, and emotion validation. Sessions are delivered via Zoom, and participants receive structured homework after each session to reinforce learning. The chatbot was not custom-built for this study but is an existing tool provided to NUS students as part of their digital mental health benefits.

Participants in this arm will complete four 20-minute sessions of neutral writing tasks unrelated to mental health. Prompts include writing factually about daily routines or describing an object in detail. The content is emotionally neutral to act as a comparison for the chatbot intervention. Sessions are conducted online via Zoom.