Youth Mental HealthNCT07316647
Using Conversational AI to Teach Growth Mindset Skills to Youths in India
A study testing Growth mindset training using conversational AI in people with Youth Mental Health and Anxiety, run by Harvard University at 1 site in India.
Trial summary
This study aims to test whether a brief digital intervention using conversational AI can improve mental health outcomes among school-aged youth (grades 6-8) in India, where most young people with mental health issues do not receive treatment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Youth Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression
- What is being tested?
- Growth mindset training using conversational AI
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 383 participants
- Where
- 1 siteIndia
- Study dates
- 3 Nov 2025to 9 Jan 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Youth in grades 6-8 at our partner school
- Youth assents to participate and a parent/guardian provides passive consent (does not opt-out of participation)
Who cannot join
- N/A
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
This study aims to test whether a brief digital intervention using conversational AI can improve mental health outcomes among school-aged youth (grades 6-8) in India, where most young people with mental health issues do not receive treatment. The intervention teaches "growth mindset", the belief that skills and abilities can improve with effort, via a 45-minute interactive conversation with an AI chatbot (spread across two class periods). A randomized controlled trial with approximately 430 students at a private, English-medium school in Bangalore will evaluate whether interacting with the chatbot can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression while enhancing growth mindset beliefs. Half the students will receive the full intervention at baseline, while the other half (control group) will complete a usual school assignment; after 7 weeks, the control group will receive a shortened (15-minute) version of the growth mindset intervention. Participants will complete 10-minute surveys at baseline, 3 weeks, and 7 weeks, after which all students will receive a printed booklet with all the information from the chatbot. This study represents one of the first randomized controlled trials evaluating conversational AI as a brief digital intervention for youth mental health.
Read the detailed description
Globally, 300 million youths have a diagnosable mental disorder and more reside in India than any other country. Yet, in India, where this study is based, most youths affected by mental health issues do not receive treatment. Symptoms are especially prevalent during high school, when many students show signs of depression and anxiety. Given myriad challenges in accessing mental healthcare, some have turned to conversational AIs such as ChatGPT and Claude for personalized support. However, there are few rigorous tests of whether such tools can improve mental health.
This study aims to bridge this gap by combining conversational AI with evidence-based intervention for youth mental health-specifically, a growth mindset intervention, which promotes the belief that abilities are not innate but can be improved with effort. It is well known that growth mindset interventions can improve academic performance. In addition, researchers have shown that brief, computer-guided growth mindset training can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression that sustain 3-9 months post-intervention, and not only in the United States. However, until now, these interventions have been delivered via static, standardized websites that few people use.
The intervention considered is a 45-minute interactive lesson on growth mindset, embedded within a conversational AI. Similar to prior interventions, the content includes modules on understanding growth mindset, its basis in neuroplasticity, and roleplaying scenarios. Each module includes interactive discussions with the AI (e.g., "in your words, what is a growth mindset?", "in the above scenario, how could a growth mindset apply?")
The specific aim of the study is to test whether a brief, AI-enabled growth mindset intervention offers measurable benefits for school-aged youth in India. A randomized controlled trial with about 430 students (grades 6-8) will measure whether the AI-enabled training leads to changes in growth mindset beliefs and skills as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression, relative to a control group that receives a shortened intervention after 7 weeks. Brief, 10-minute questionnaires will be administered to all participants at baseline, 3 weeks, and 7 weeks. At the conclusion of the trial, all students will receive a printed booklet with content from the full intervention. The study will take place in an English-medium private school in Bangalore, India, which serves a diversity of students.
The growth mindset intervention may also benefit academic performance, and the school partner, at its discretion, may be able to integrate it into part of their standard curriculum following the completion of the study. However, the specific research question is whether the chatbot interaction yields measurable improvements in youth mental health. Given the preponderance of AI chatbots aiming to address various aspects of mental health, such measurement is as important as it is rare. This study will contribute to the growing evidence base on how technology can inform and support youth mental health.
- Conditions
- Youth Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression
- Being tested
- Growth mindset training using conversational AI
- Keywords
- growth mindset, brief digital mental health intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders, Depression
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Growth mindset training using conversational AIBehavioural
Participants will interact with an AI chatbot for approximately 45 minutes. The tutorial has a structured script and pauses at section boundaries to allow for brief interactions. It also contains culturally-grounded comics and illustrations with role-playing scenarios to engage with students.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Growth mindset training | Experimental | Receives growth mindset training via 45-minute interaction with conversational AI Receives: Behavioral: Growth mindset training using conversational AI |
| Usual classroom activities | No intervention | Performs usual classroom activities during the intervention period; receives delayed and shortened intervention at the conclusion of the study |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Behavior and Feelings Survey - Internalizing Subscale (full sample)
Trajectories of self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression from the 6-item (each item rated on a 0-4 scale, with higher ratings indicating more symptoms) Internalizing Subscale of the Behavior and Feelings Survey. Total scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating more symptoms (BFS; Weisz et al., 2020).
Measured: Baseline, 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Student Perceived Program Acceptability and Helpfulness
Assessed via the Program Feedback Scale (Schleider et al., 2019). This scale consists of 7 items rated on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability and helpfulness.
Measured: Immediately post-intervention
Secondary outcomes (3)
Change in Behavior and Feelings Survey - Internalizing Subscale (elevated subsample)
Trajectories of self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression from the 6-item (each item rated on a 0-4 scale, with higher ratings indicating more symptoms) Internalizing Subscale of the Behavior and Feelings Survey. Total scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating more symptoms (BFS; Weisz et al., 2020).
Measured: Baseline, 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Change in Growth Mindset Beliefs (full sample and elevated subsample)
Assessed via the Growth Mindset Scale (Sigmundsson \& Haga, 2024), adapted to a lower reading level. This scale consists of 8 items, rated on a scale from 1 (not like me at all) to 5 (very much like me).
Measured: Baseline, 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Growth mindset reflections (intervention group)
Assessed with brief questions to check recall and use of growth mindset as well as intent to apply it in the future:
- In one sentence, what is the main idea of growth mindset?
- Have you used growth mindset for anything at school or home in the past few weeks? [Yes, Not yet, I'm not sure]
- [If they answer "Yes"] Please share what happened. What did you do or think?
- How might you use growth mindset in the next month? Be sure to explain: (i) WHAT you want to get better at. This could be a school subject, a skill, or any personal goal, (ii) HOW you will improve. This could include practicing, asking for help, or any of the tips above!
Measured: 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Jan 2026
- Study start3 Nov 2025
- Primary completion9 Jan 2026
- Study completion9 Jan 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Youth Mental HealthStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Half the students will be randomly assigned to receive the full intervention at baseline, while the other half (control group) will complete a usual school assignment; after 7 weeks, the control group will receive a shortened (15-minute) version of the intervention.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 383 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Harvard University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, John Weisz, Harvard University
- Investigators
- John R Weisz, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Harvard University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07316647
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB25-0827
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 5 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 27 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: To respect concerns shared by our school partner regarding privacy of student data, individual participant data will not be shared with outside researchers.
Publications
Weisz JR, Vaughn-Coaxum RA, Evans SC, Thomassin K, Hersh J, Ng MY, Lau N, Lee EH, Raftery-Helmer JN, Mair P. Efficient Monitoring of Treatment Response during Youth Psychotherapy: The Behavior and Feelings Survey. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2020 Nov-Dec;49(6):737-751. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2018.1547973. Epub 2019 Jan 18.
PubMed 30657721
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Using Conversational AI to Teach Growth Mindset Skills to Youths in India
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07316647
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB25-0827
- Conditions
- Youth Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression
- Keywords
- growth mindset, brief digital mental health intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 383 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Harvard UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 3 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 9 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 9 Jan 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 5 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study aims to test whether a brief digital intervention using conversational AI can improve mental health outcomes among school-aged youth (grades 6-8) in India, where most young people with mental health issues do not receive treatment. The intervention teaches "growth mindset", the belief that skills and abilities can improve with effort, via a 45-minute interactive conversation with an AI chatbot (spread across two class periods). A randomized controlled trial with approximately 430 students at a private, English-medium school in Bangalore will evaluate whether interacting with the chatbot can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression while enhancing growth mindset beliefs. Half the students will receive the full intervention at baseline, while the other half (control group) will complete a usual school assignment; after 7 weeks, the control group will receive a shortened (15-minute) version of the growth mindset intervention. Participants will complete 10-minute surveys at baseline, 3 weeks, and 7 weeks, after which all students will receive a printed booklet with all the information from the chatbot. This study represents one of the first randomized controlled trials evaluating conversational AI as a brief digital intervention for youth mental health.
Detailed description
Globally, 300 million youths have a diagnosable mental disorder and more reside in India than any other country. Yet, in India, where this study is based, most youths affected by mental health issues do not receive treatment. Symptoms are especially prevalent during high school, when many students show signs of depression and anxiety. Given myriad challenges in accessing mental healthcare, some have turned to conversational AIs such as ChatGPT and Claude for personalized support. However, there are few rigorous tests of whether such tools can improve mental health.
This study aims to bridge this gap by combining conversational AI with evidence-based intervention for youth mental health-specifically, a growth mindset intervention, which promotes the belief that abilities are not innate but can be improved with effort. It is well known that growth mindset interventions can improve academic performance. In addition, researchers have shown that brief, computer-guided growth mindset training can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression that sustain 3-9 months post-intervention, and not only in the United States. However, until now, these interventions have been delivered via static, standardized websites that few people use.
The intervention considered is a 45-minute interactive lesson on growth mindset, embedded within a conversational AI. Similar to prior interventions, the content includes modules on understanding growth mindset, its basis in neuroplasticity, and roleplaying scenarios. Each module includes interactive discussions with the AI (e.g., "in your words, what is a growth mindset?", "in the above scenario, how could a growth mindset apply?")
The specific aim of the study is to test whether a brief, AI-enabled growth mindset intervention offers measurable benefits for school-aged youth in India. A randomized controlled trial with about 430 students (grades 6-8) will measure whether the AI-enabled training leads to changes in growth mindset beliefs and skills as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression, relative to a control group that receives a shortened intervention after 7 weeks. Brief, 10-minute questionnaires will be administered to all participants at baseline, 3 weeks, and 7 weeks. At the conclusion of the trial, all students will receive a printed booklet with content from the full intervention. The study will take place in an English-medium private school in Bangalore, India, which serves a diversity of students.
The growth mindset intervention may also benefit academic performance, and the school partner, at its discretion, may be able to integrate it into part of their standard curriculum following the completion of the study. However, the specific research question is whether the chatbot interaction yields measurable improvements in youth mental health. Given the preponderance of AI chatbots aiming to address various aspects of mental health, such measurement is as important as it is rare. This study will contribute to the growing evidence base on how technology can inform and support youth mental health.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Half the students will be randomly assigned to receive the full intervention at baseline, while the other half (control group) will complete a usual school assignment; after 7 weeks, the control group will receive a shortened (15-minute) version of the intervention.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Growth mindset training | Experimental | Behavioral: Growth mindset training using conversational AIReceives growth mindset training via 45-minute interaction with conversational AI |
| Usual classroom activities | No intervention | –Performs usual classroom activities during the intervention period; receives delayed and shortened intervention at the conclusion of the study |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Youth in grades 6-8 at our partner school
- Youth assents to participate and a parent/guardian provides passive consent (does not opt-out of participation)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- N/A
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Growth mindset training using conversational AIParticipants will interact with an AI chatbot for approximately 45 minutes. The tutorial has a structured script and pauses at section boundaries to allow for brief interactions. It also contains culturally-grounded comics and illustrations with role-playing scenarios to engage with students. | Behavioural | Growth mindset training |
Primary outcome
Change in Behavior and Feelings Survey - Internalizing Subscale (full sample)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Trajectories of self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression from the 6-item (each item rated on a 0-4 scale, with higher ratings indicating more symptoms) Internalizing Subscale of the Behavior and Feelings Survey. Total scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating more symptoms (BFS; Weisz et al., 2020).
Student Perceived Program Acceptability and Helpfulness
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention
Assessed via the Program Feedback Scale (Schleider et al., 2019). This scale consists of 7 items rated on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability and helpfulness.
3 secondary outcomes
Change in Behavior and Feelings Survey - Internalizing Subscale (elevated subsample)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Change in Growth Mindset Beliefs (full sample and elevated subsample)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Growth mindset reflections (intervention group)
Time frame: 3 weeks, 7 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Jan 2026.
- Background: PubMed 30657721Weisz JR, Vaughn-Coaxum RA, Evans SC, Thomassin K, Hersh J, Ng MY, Lau N, Lee EH, Raftery-Helmer JN, Mair P. Efficient Monitoring of Treatment Response during Youth Psychotherapy: The Behavior and Feelings Survey. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2020 Nov-Dec;49(6):737-751. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2018.1547973. Epub 2019 Jan 18.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. To respect concerns shared by our school partner regarding privacy of student data, individual participant data will not be shared with outside researchers.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
John R Weisz, Ph.D. principal investigator
Harvard University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Growth mindset training using conversational AI in people with Youth Mental Health and Anxiety, run by Harvard University at 1 site in India.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in India. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Behavior and Feelings Survey - Internalizing Subscale (full sample) (time frame: Baseline, 3 weeks, 7 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07316647, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Jan 2026.