Pai.ACT - An Artificial Intelligence Driven Chatbot Assisted ACT

Summary

Limited psychological support for parents of children with special needs in Hong Kong can profoundly impact the child rehabilitation process and the well-being of parent-child dyads. Leveraging previous evidence from our team's research, we have developed Pai.ACT, the first deep learning-based mental health advisory system for parents. Pai.ACT incorporates the counselling logic of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) through natural language processing, enabling parents to engage in human-like voice-to-text conversations and receive assessments and stepped-care mental health interventions, including guided self-help materials and real-time, individual-based counselling based on ACT. Following the research and development phases, we aim to kick off the utilisation of Pai.ACT by (1) pilot-testing its feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy in improving mental health outcomes for parents of children with special needs and (2) researching to determine the most optimal service model for parents by exploring their perceptions through focus group interviews. Pai.ACT offers accessible and comprehensive mental health services to all Chinese-speaking parents, addressing their psychological burden in caring for children with special needs. Pai.ACT could bring substantial and enduring societal benefits to Chinese-speaking families by integrating mental health support services for family caregivers with current child rehabilitation services and non-governmental organisations. Furthermore, this could contribute to reducing the public stigma attached to special needs children while increasing mental health awareness.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Intellectual Disability
• Specific Learning Disorder
• Communication Disorders
• Motor Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Pai.ACT Group

The Pai.ACT mobile app is an innovative therapeutic tool that utilizes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It integrates a sophisticated algorithm to analyze self-reported data and conversation texts when the user interacts with the AI chatbot and identifies what psychological inflexibility processes are required to be the most essential to be addressed for process-matched ACT interventions. These interventions, including self-help modules and experiential exercises, are enhanced with dynamic animations and audio metaphors. The app also offers 4-6 video-based individual ACT sessions with a dedicated counseling team and a referral system for intensive psychological support, all underpinned by empirical evidence from a previous ACT trial in Hong Kong.

OTHER

Control Group

Both the Pai.ACT group and the control group will receive conventional familial support offered by the hospital's Children with Complexity Community Support Programme (CCCSP) and allied Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). This support encompasses disseminating educational content focused on the management of children's affective and behavioral manifestations.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hong Kong Christian Service

  collaborator OTHER

• Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association

  collaborator OTHER

• Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service

  collaborator OTHER

• Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• The Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Chinese University of Hong Kong

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-10-01

Primary Completion

2025-03-31

Completion

2025-06-30

Countries

• Hong Kong

Study Locations