{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T03:43:44Z","timestamp":1793072624831,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771891200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>AI-driven music therapy offers a promising, accessible digital intervention for the growing mental health crisis in universities. The \u201cDeficiency Compensation Hypothesis\u201d suggests that depression may drive students toward such digital help-seeking. However, the inherent data sensitivity of AI tools triggers the \u201cPrivacy Calculus,\u201d potentially inhibiting adoption. This study investigates the interplay between depression severity, privacy concerns, and the intention to use AI music therapy among university students.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 612 university students in China. The study measured depression levels (PHQ-8), AI-specific privacy concerns, perceived usefulness, and intention to use. A hierarchical regression model with moderation analysis was employed to examine whether privacy concerns weaken the association between distress and help-seeking motivation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Participants exhibited mild depression on average (PHQ-8 Mean\u202f=\u202f6.07). Regression analysis revealed that depression positively predicted the intention to use AI music therapy (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2\u202f=\u202f0.128, p\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001<\/jats:italic>\n                      ), supporting the distress-driven help-seeking hypothesis. Crucially, privacy concerns acted as a significant negative moderator (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2\u202f=\u202f\u22120.086, p\u202f=\u202f0.015<\/jats:italic>\n                      ). Simple slope analysis indicated that the motivating effect of depression on usage intention was significant only for students with low privacy concerns but was nullified in those with high privacy concerns.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings highlight a critical paradox in digital mental health: while depressive symptoms are positively associated with students\u2019 intention to seek AI-based help, privacy fears can significantly attenuate this association. For highly privacy-sensitive individuals, the need for therapeutic relief is overridden by the fear of surveillance. Consequently, developers and universities must prioritize \u201cprivacy by design\u201d and transparent trust mechanisms, rather than relying solely on algorithmic precision, to ensure these tools can serve as effective emotional support for vulnerable students.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1768759","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]],"date-time":"2026-02-24T06:47:18Z","timestamp":1771915638000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The conflict between need and fear: how privacy concerns moderate the influence of depression on university students\u2019 acceptance of AI music therapy"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Yang","family":"Zhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Arts and Media, Tongji University","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Riming","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Humanities, Tongji University","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1186\/s41239-024-00444-7","article-title":"Is it harmful or helpful? 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