Associations of Generative AI Use for Health Issues With Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

Although generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has been used as a source of general health information, its specific pertinence to mental health remains unclear. To discern if the use of GenAI for health issues was associated with anxiety and depression, we analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 96,205 US college students. Complex‐samples multivariable logistic regression models were performed, adjusting for demographic characteristics. Students who engaged with GenAI for health issues demonstrated higher odds of screening positive for clinically significant anxiety (adjusted odds ratio [ aOR ] = 1.52, 95% CI [1.34, 1.73], p < 0.001) and depression ( aOR = 1.46, 95% CI [1.28, 1.67], p < 0.001). These associations remained consistent in sensitivity analyses controlling for prior anxiety and depression diagnoses. Findings suggest that GenAI use for health issues may serve as a marker of anxiety and depression among college students, with implications for ways counselors assess and conceptualize practice initiatives.