Meet Them Where They Are: Investigating the Feasibility and Acceptability of Artificial Intelligence-Avatar-Delivered Community-Based Psychological First Aid Programming in a University Setting

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of implementing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) avatar to deliver Community-Based Psychological First Aid training (CBPFA) to undergraduate students in a university setting. College students report high stress levels, and chronic stress is associated with negative physical, mental, and academic outcomes. CBPFA may be an effective way for colleges and universities to provide students with psychosocial support; however, traditional models utilize in-person training, which may not be accessible on a large scale. The present study developed a web-based AI-avatar-delivered CBPFA training to provide an alternative training modality. The AI-avatar-delivered CBPFA training resulted in statistically significant knowledge increases, and participants ranked it as both acceptable and feasible. Qualitative feedback also identified a number of positive and negative characteristics of the training. The current research is only the second published study to utilize CBPFA training among college students and is the first known program to utilize an AI avatar to deliver CBPFA training. The study results indicate that an AI-avatar-delivered CBPFA program is an acceptable and feasible way to teach CBPFA principles, corroborate prior research on CBPFA and the use of AI, and provide the foundation for future research of AI-avatar-delivered psychoeducational programming