Evaluation of a Chatbot-Delivered Structured Psychological Intervention for Teenagers With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Summary

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most common spinal deformity in children and can significantly impact the psychological health of affected teenagers. Despite this, there are few effective psychological treatments available for this population. Cognitive and behavioral strategies show promise in addressing the challenges associated with the condition and its treatment. Chatbots could serve as an accessible and effective tool to support the psychological health of these teenagers.

Using the Centre for eHealth Research and Disease Management Roadmap as a guide, a chatbot-based structured psychological intervention has been developed. This intervention incorporates cognitive and behavioral strategies and aims to improve the psychological health of teenagers with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The current phase involves implementing the intervention and conducting a pilot test to assess its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness.

The study will employ a pilot randomized controlled trial design, nested with qualitative interviews. Participants will be recruited from community health organizations in Hong Kong and will be randomly assigned to either a control group or an intervention group using block randomization. The intervention group will engage with the chatbot-based structured psychological intervention for eight consecutive weeks. The control group will interact with a different generative chatbot, participating in casual conversations at a similar frequency. Quantitative assessments will be conducted at three points: baseline, immediately after the intervention, and one month after the intervention. Additionally, qualitative interviews will be held with selected participants from the intervention group at post-intervention to explore their experiences and perceptions of the intervention process.

Conditions

• Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)
• Psychological Health

Interventions

OTHER

Intervention Group

The intervention group will engage with SPI-Bot, a conversational agent designed to deliver cognitive and behavioral strategies for managing psychological symptoms through fully automated interactions. SPI-Bot operates on a template-based platform with predefined dialogue options, utilizing natural language processing technology. The intervention spans eight weeks and includes key components such as psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, relaxation training, activity scheduling, problem-solving skills training, and social skills training. Participants will complete one session per week over the eight-week period. Participants will receive weekly contact from the research team to report AIS symptoms, receive homework reminders, and address any intervention-related questions.

OTHER

control group

Participants in the control group will interact with a different generative chatbot, engaging in casual conversations at a similar dosage to ensure balanced attention and interaction effects.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-08-15

Primary Completion

2026-02-01

Completion

2026-02-01