{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,11]],"date-time":"2026-06-11T14:37:11Z","timestamp":1781188631122,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]],"date-time":"2025-06-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749513600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Computers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Rising mental health challenges among postsecondary students have increased the demand for scalable, ethical solutions. This paper presents the design, development, and safety evaluation of Luna, a GPT-4-based mental health chatbot. Built using a modular PHP architecture, Luna integrates multi-layered prompt engineering, safety guardrails, and referral logic. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Detroit Mercy (Protocol #23-24-38) reviewed the proposed study and deferred full human subject approval, requesting technical validation prior to deployment. In response, we conducted a pilot test with a variety of users\u2014including clinicians and students who simulated at-risk student scenarios. Results indicated that 96% of expert interactions were deemed safe, and 90.4% of prompts were considered useful. This paper describes Luna\u2019s architecture, prompt strategy, and expert feedback, concluding with recommendations for future human research trials.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/computers14060227","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]],"date-time":"2025-06-10T03:54:18Z","timestamp":1749527658000},"page":"227","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Deploying a Mental Health Chatbot in Higher Education: The Development and Evaluation of Luna, an AI-Based Mental Health Support System"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Phillip","family":"Olla","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health Professionals, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI 48221, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashlee","family":"Barnes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"McAuley School of Nursing, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI 48221, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lauren","family":"Elliott","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mustafa","family":"Abumeeiz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Venus","family":"Olla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Therapist Student Counselling Centre, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B3P4, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7491-6885","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"790","article-title":"Unhealthy behavior clustering and mental health status in United States college students","volume":"67","author":"Jao","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. 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