Assessing Acceptance and Feasibility of a Conversational Agent to Support Individuals Living with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Objective: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a pervasive health concern affecting millions of individuals. However, there remain significant barriers to providing resources and addressing the needs of individuals living with PTSD. To address this treatment gap, we have collaborated with clinical experts to develop PTSDialogue-a conversational agent (CA) that aims to support effective self-management of PTSD. In this work, we have focused on assessing the feasibility and acceptance of PTSDialogue for individuals living with PTSD.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with individuals living with PTSD ( ). Participants were asked about their experiences with the PTSDialogue and their perceptions of its usefulness in managing PTSD. We then used bottom-up thematic analysis with a qualitative interpretivist approach to analyze the interview data.

Results: All participants expressed that PTSDialogue could be beneficial for supporting PTSD treatment. We also uncovered key opportunities and challenges in using CAs to complement existing clinical practices and support longitudinal self-management of PTSD. We highlight important design features of CAs to provide effective support for this population, including the need for personalization, education, and privacy-sensitive interactions.

Conclusion: We demonstrate the acceptability of CAs to support longitudinal self-management of PTSD. Based on these findings, we have outlined design recommendations for technologies aiming to reduce treatment and support gaps for individuals living with serious mental illnesses.