Embodied Agent-Facilitated Virtual Support Groups for University Students

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Abstract
Facilitator-guided support groups allow individuals facing similar challenges to meet and discuss their experiences. With the rising demand for mental health resources and therapist burnout, technology-facilitated support groups may offer a supplementary mechanism for supporting individuals while fostering peer support. Through a between- and within-subjects Wizard of-Oz study, we investigated how embodied conversational agent (ECA)-guided support groups using a robot embodiment and Large Language Model (LLM)-generated responses impact participant pre- to post-session 1) anxiety, 2) positive affect, and 3) negative affect, when participants perceive the ECA to be human-operated vs. when they are led to believe it is autonomous. Results showed significant decreases in participants' levels of anxiety and negative affect, and no significant change in positive affect before and after they participated in the support group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two conditions in these change patterns as well as participants' perceived trust and evaluation of the ECA's competence as a facilitator. Analysis of objective LIWC-22 (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count) measures agreed with results from self-reported data: there were also no significant differences in the participants' expressed emotions in language between the two conditions. The implications of this study on ECA-facilitated support group interactions for mental health are discussed.
Funding Information
  • National Science Foundation (2233191)

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