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Depression and the use of conversational AI for companionship among college students: the mediating role of loneliness and the moderating effects of gender and mind perception

Lai, Lizu, Pan, Yiyu, Xu, Ranyuan, Jiang, Yanglang·2025·Frontiers in Public Health
DOI 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1580826PMC PMC12162938
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Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between depression and the use of conversational AI for companionship (UCAI-C) among college students. It further sought to investigate the mediating role of loneliness and the moderating roles of gender and mind perception in this association. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,379 college students (Mean age = 21.93 years; 616 females, 763 males) using four validated instruments. Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. Results: Depression was found to be positively associated with UCAI-C. This relationship was significantly mediated by loneliness. Moreover, both gender and mind perception moderated the pathways between depression, loneliness, and UCAI-C. Conclusion: The findings illustrate how individuals’ mental states can influence their use of companion AI. They highlight significant individual differences (gender and mind perception) in these relationships, contributing to the theoretical understanding of factors governing human interaction with AI chatbots.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1580826

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Figure 1 Mediation effects examined in this study.
Figure 1 Mediation effects examined in this study.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 The moderating effects of gender and mind perception. (a) The moderating effect of gender on the association between depression and UCAI-C. (b) The moderating effect of gender on the association between loneliness and UCIA-C. (c) The moderating effects of mind perception on the relationship between depression and UCAI-C. (d) The moderating effect of mind perception on the relationship between loneliness and UCAI-C.
Figure 2 The moderating effects of gender and mind perception. (a) The moderating effect of gender on the association between depression and UCAI-C. (b) The moderating effect of gender on the association between loneliness and UCIA-C. (c) The moderating effects of mind perception on the relationship between depression and UCAI-C. (d) The moderating effect of mind perception on the relationship between loneliness and UCAI-C.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Metadata

Authors
Lai, L., Pan, Y., Xu, R., & Jiang, Y.
Venue
Frontiers in Public Health
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2025-05-30
Volume
13
ISSN
2296-2565
DOI
10.3389/fpubh.2025.1580826
PMC
PMC12162938
Cited by
34
References
27
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor)

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