Exploring Socio-Cultural Challenges and Opportunities in Designing Mental Health Chatbots for Adolescents in India

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Sehgal, Neil K. R., Kambhamettu, Hita, Matam, Sai Preethi, Ungar, Lyle, Guntuku, Sharath Chandra
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Sehgal, Neil K. R.
Kambhamettu, Hita
Matam, Sai Preethi
Ungar, Lyle
Guntuku, Sharath Chandra
author_facet Sehgal, Neil K. R.
Kambhamettu, Hita
Matam, Sai Preethi
Ungar, Lyle
Guntuku, Sharath Chandra
contents Mental health challenges among Indian adolescents are shaped by unique cultural and systemic barriers, including high social stigma and limited professional support. Through a mixed-methods study involving a survey of 278 adolescents and follow-up interviews with 12 participants, we explore how adolescents perceive mental health challenges and interact with digital tools. Quantitative results highlight low self-stigma but significant social stigma, a preference for text over voice interactions, and low utilization of mental health apps but high smartphone access. Our qualitative findings reveal that while adolescents value privacy, emotional support, and localized content in mental health tools, existing chatbots lack personalization and cultural relevance. These findings inform recommendations for culturally sensitive chatbot design that prioritizes anonymity, tailored support, and localized resources to better meet the needs of adolescents in India. This work advances culturally sensitive chatbot design by centering underrepresented populations, addressing critical gaps in accessibility and support for adolescents in India.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_08562
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Exploring Socio-Cultural Challenges and Opportunities in Designing Mental Health Chatbots for Adolescents in India
Sehgal, Neil K. R.
Kambhamettu, Hita
Matam, Sai Preethi
Ungar, Lyle
Guntuku, Sharath Chandra
Computers and Society
Human-Computer Interaction
Mental health challenges among Indian adolescents are shaped by unique cultural and systemic barriers, including high social stigma and limited professional support. Through a mixed-methods study involving a survey of 278 adolescents and follow-up interviews with 12 participants, we explore how adolescents perceive mental health challenges and interact with digital tools. Quantitative results highlight low self-stigma but significant social stigma, a preference for text over voice interactions, and low utilization of mental health apps but high smartphone access. Our qualitative findings reveal that while adolescents value privacy, emotional support, and localized content in mental health tools, existing chatbots lack personalization and cultural relevance. These findings inform recommendations for culturally sensitive chatbot design that prioritizes anonymity, tailored support, and localized resources to better meet the needs of adolescents in India. This work advances culturally sensitive chatbot design by centering underrepresented populations, addressing critical gaps in accessibility and support for adolescents in India.
title Exploring Socio-Cultural Challenges and Opportunities in Designing Mental Health Chatbots for Adolescents in India
topic Computers and Society
Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.08562