{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T04:23:21Z","timestamp":1793075001172,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787184000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":19,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785542400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012166","name":"National Basic Research Program of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2024YFC3308400"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024YFC3308400"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012166","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Applied Psych Health &amp;amp; Well"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Digital stress has emerged as a salient risk factor for the mental health of emerging adults, yet targeted interventions remain limited. Generative AI chatbots offer a scalable approach to delivering context\u2010sensitive supportive interactions that users may perceive as emotional or informational support. This randomized controlled trial tested two functionally specialized AI chatbots\u2014emotional\u2010support and problem\u2010solving\u2014in reducing digital stress, with mental health outcomes examined secondarily, among university students with elevated digital stress. Ninety\u2010nine participants were randomized to emotional support, problem\u2010solving, or waitlist control and completed a 14\u2010day self\u2010guided intervention. Results showed that both chatbots effectively increased their intended forms of perceived chatbot\u2010delivered support and exhibited function\u2010specific effects on different dimensions of digital stress. The emotional\u2010support chatbot significantly reduced availability stress, approval anxiety, social comparison stress, and fear of missing out and improved secondary positive mental health. The problem\u2010solving chatbot showed a distinct advantage in reducing online vigilance. Both interventions significantly alleviated anxiety symptoms, whereas effects on depressive symptoms were not significant. Findings suggest that functionally specialized AI chatbots may provide scalable support for digital stress, with effects depending on the alignment between support function and stress dimension.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/aphw.70208","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T10:26:37Z","timestamp":1787221597000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Emotional support or problem\u2010solving? A randomized controlled trial of function\u2010specific AI Chatbots for digital stress in college students"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-5157-1641","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Qingfeng","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology Central China Normal University  Wuhan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hanzhang","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology Central China Normal University  Wuhan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1870-9216","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xiayu","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology Central China Normal University  Wuhan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qinyu","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology Central China Normal University  Wuhan China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3753-6242","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhihong","family":"Ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology Central China Normal University  Wuhan China"},{"name":"School of Psychology Liaoning Normal University  Dalian China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_9_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/cpsp.12342"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1750-8606.2007.00016.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0149-7189(82)90074-X"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_5_1","first-page":"1e9","volume-title":"Proceedings of the first international conference onintelligent interactive technologies and multimedia","author":"Benyon D.","year":"2010"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/1067860.1067867"},{"key":"e_1_2_9_7_1","unstructured":"China Sleep Research Society. 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