AUTHOR=Aghakhani S. , Carre N. , Mostovoy K. , Shafer R. , Baeza-Hernandez K. , Entenberg G. , Testerman A. , Bunge E. L. TITLE=Qualitative analysis of mental health conversational agents messages about autism spectrum disorder: a call for action JOURNAL=Frontiers in Digital Health VOLUME=5 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/digital-health/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1251016 DOI=10.3389/fdgth.2023.1251016 ISSN=2673-253X ABSTRACT=Background

Conversational agents (CA's) have shown promise in increasing accessibility to mental health resources. This study aimed to identify common themes of messages sent to a mental health CA (Wysa) related to ASD by general users and users that identify as having ASD.

Methods

This study utilized retrospective data. Two thematic analyses were conducted, one focusing on user messages including the keywords (e.g., ASD, autism, Asperger), and the second one with messages from users who self-identified as having ASD.

Results

For the sample of general users, the most frequent themes were “others having ASD,” “ASD diagnosis,” and “seeking help.” For the users that self-identified as having ASD (n = 277), the most frequent themes were “ASD diagnosis or symptoms,” “negative reaction from others,” and “positive comments.” There were 3,725 emotion words mentioned by users who self-identified as having ASD. The majority had negative valence (80.3%), and few were positive (14.8%) or ambivalent (4.9%).

Conclusion

Users shared their experiences and emotions surrounding ASD with a mental health CA. Users asked about the ASD diagnosis, sought help, and reported negative reactions from others. CA's have the potential to become a source of support for those interested in ASD and/or identify as having ASD.