Digital companionship
The interplay of conversational AI, loneliness, social anxiety, and quality of life among young adults
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21282984 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gagan Jain (0000-0003-3755-6048, Manipal Hospital, corresponding author), Eliza Patole (Manipal University Jaipur), Samridhi Pareek (0000-0002-8098-1405, Manipal University Jaipur) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 264 |
| Pages | 106467 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Acta Psychologica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-6918 • E-ISSN: 1873-6297 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106467 |
| PMID | 41702094 |
| OpenAlex | W7129101763 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 30 |
This study examines the relationship between Conversational Artificial Intelligence (CAI) usage and psychological outcomes-social anxiety, loneliness, and quality of life (QOL)-among young adults in India (N = 233). Correlational analyses showed that CAI usage was non-significantly associated with lower social anxiety (r = -0.12) and loneliness (r = -0.18) and was modestly but non-significantly linked to higher Quality of Life (QoL) (r = 0.23-0.33 across domains). Mediation analysis suggested an indirect association between CAI usability and social anxiety through loneliness, suggesting full mediation. Interestingly, greater loneliness was positively associated with self-reported CAI usage, while higher usage was concurrently associated with lower loneliness highlighting a complex reciprocal pattern. As the data are cross-sectional, these links are exploratory and non-causal. Although the observed effects were small and not statistically significant in most cases, the findings point to the potential of empathetic Artificial Intelligence tools as supplementary support for emotional well-being in digitally connected youth
Anxiety · Association (psychology) · Loneliness · Mediation · Quality of life (healthcare) · Social anxiety · Social support · Young adult · AI in Service Interactions · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Impact of Technology on Adolescents
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Subjective well-being
| Highly cited | No |
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