Transactions on Data Analysis in Social Science

Transactions on Data Analysis in Social Science

Effects of Eight-Week Interaction with a Conversational AI Chatbot on Loneliness and Psychological Well-Being among Lonely Adults in Tehran: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
R. Shahbazi 1
A. Alizadeh Asl 2
1 M.A. Student in General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Buin Zahra Branch, Buin Zahra, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Buin Zahra Branch, Buin Zahra, Iran
10.22034/tdas.2025.255762
Abstract
Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used for companionship, yet evidence on its effects on loneliness outside Western contexts is limited. Objective: This study examined the effects of sustained interaction with a conversational AI chatbot on loneliness and psychological well-being, the association between technology attachment and loneliness reduction, and participants' lived experiences. Methods: In an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, 120 adults aged 20–45 years in Tehran with UCLA Loneliness Scale scores above 45 were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 60), which interacted with a chatbot for at least 15 minutes per day, five days per week, for eight weeks, or to a no-intervention control group (n = 60). Outcomes were assessed with the UCLA Loneliness Scale and Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales, and technology attachment was measured in the experimental group at posttest. Fifteen experimental-group participants were then interviewed. Results: Mean loneliness decreased from 58.3 to 42.1 in the experimental group and from 57.9 to 56.8 in the control group, and the group difference remained significant after controlling for pretest scores (F(1, 117) = 176.61, p < .001). Well-being scores increased on all six dimensions in the experimental group. Technology attachment correlated positively with loneliness reduction (r = .34, p < .01). Interviews yielded four themes: nonjudgmental reflection, constant and predictable companionship, the illusion of intimacy and reduced motivation for human interaction. Conclusions: Conversational AI may offer short-term support for lonely adults but should complement rather than replace human relationships; longer-term controlled studies are needed.
Keywords
Conversational Artificial Intelligence
Loneliness
Psychological Well-Being
Technology Attachment
Digital Mental Health Intervention
Mixed-Methods Research
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Transactions on Data Analysis in Social Science
Volume 7, Issue 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 284-294

  • Receive Date 02 June 2025
  • Revise Date 11 August 2025
  • Accept Date 17 September 2025