Developing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Powered Exposure Therapy Chatbot for Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Summary
The goal of this study is to develop and refine an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Exposure Therapy for Eating Disorders chatbot web-app that effectively engages adolescents and young adults and decreases anxiety about weight gain. Participants will use the web-app as a supplemental therapeutic tool during their first six weeks of treatment in a Partial Hospitalization Program. Participants will complete assessments every two weeks, including: (1) semi-structured interviews about their experience with the chatbot web-app; (2) implementation outcome measures (e.g., feasibility, usability, acceptability); and (3) anxiety about weight gain.
Description
The overarching goal of this study is to develop and refine an AI-powered Exposure Therapy for Eating Disorders (Exp-ED) chatbot app that effectively engages adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with eating disorders (EDs) and decreases anxiety about weight gain. The investigators will enroll 20 AYAs (ages 12-26 years) entering the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) for EDs at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The initial version of the Exp-ED chatbot app will be developed by an interdisciplinary team with expertise in exposure therapy for EDs (Dr. Essayli), AI (Dr. Nawab), an…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 12–26 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Age is between or equal to 12-26 years * Admitted to the Penn State Health Eating Disorder Partial Hospital Program (PHP) or Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) * Have a personal smartphone * Have a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) * Be English speaking Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) * Have acute suicidality * Diagnosis of an intellectual disability
Interventions
- Behavioral"Exp-ED" Digital Exposure-Therapy Chatbot app
Exp-ED is a text-based digital health application designed for smartphones and personal computers. It provides exposure-based content to adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. The chatbot guides users through exposure exercises (structured steps to reduce anxiety over time), records subjective distress ratings (self-reported anxiety scores), and offers evidence-based coping prompts. These sessions are intended to supplement clinical care during a six-week partial hospitalization program.
Location
- Penn State College of MedicineHershey, Pennsylvania