A systematic review of artificial intelligence in child and adolescent interventions: from psychotherapy to developmental support.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into child and adolescent psychotherapy has gained traction in recent years, driven by the increasing demand for accessible and effective mental health services. This systematic review investigates how AI has been applied in child and adolescent psychi...

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Publicado en:European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 669 - 690
Autores principales: Mutluer, Tuba, Gurel Ficicioglu, Ipek Ege, Uysal, Melike, Ekinci, Sultan, Coskun, Cemre Naz, Mete, Hatice Kubra, Ispir Caltıner, Seyda Nur, Bugay, Bahar Zeynep, Sever, Egemen, Basdogan, Cagatay
Formato: pictorial research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Springer Nature Mar2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Mar2026
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      pub: Springer Nature
      place: New York, New York
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        atl: A systematic review of artificial intelligence in child and adolescent interventions: from psychotherapy to developmental support.
      aug:
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          Mutluer, Tuba
          Gurel Ficicioglu, Ipek Ege
          Uysal, Melike
          Ekinci, Sultan
          Coskun, Cemre Naz
          Mete, Hatice Kubra
          Ispir Caltıner, Seyda Nur
          Bugay, Bahar Zeynep
          Sever, Egemen
          Basdogan, Cagatay
        affil: https://ror.org/01m59r132 Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Antalya, Türkiye
      sug:
        subj:
          Child Psychiatry
          Adolescent Psychiatry
          Psychotherapy
          Psychoeducation
          Early Childhood Intervention
          Child Development
          Artificial Intelligence Utilization
          Artificial Intelligence Classification
          Therapy, Computer Assisted Methods
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Child
          Adolescence
          Systematic Review
          PubMed
          Medline
          Cochrane Library
          Checklists
          Robotics
          Video Games
          Mental Health Services
          Descriptive Statistics
          Data Analysis Software
          Child: 6-12 years
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into child and adolescent psychotherapy has gained traction in recent years, driven by the increasing demand for accessible and effective mental health services. This systematic review investigates how AI has been applied in child and adolescent psychiatry, particularly as a psychotherapeutic, psychoeducational, or developmental support intervention. To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive literature search and identified 38 relevant studies. These studies were categorized based on their utilization of conversational agents, game-based platforms, and robotic systems in psychotherapy and developmental support. To clarify the scope, "AI‑assisted" interventions were defined as structured interventions rely primarily on rule-based or semi-adaptive mechanisms to support therapeutic processes, whereas 'AI-based' interventions refer to systems that employ core artificial intelligence functionalities, enabling autonomous data processing and context-sensitive response generation. The findings highlight AI's potential to enhance therapeutic outcomes, improve accessibility, and deliver personalized interventions. However, ethical considerations, clinician perspectives, and the maintenance of the therapeutic alliance remain critical challenges. Unlike previous reviews that focused on a single AI-based intervention type, this review takes a comprehensive approach by examining the combined impact of chatbots, game-based therapies, and social robots in child and adolescent mental health care. By synthesizing findings across these AI modalities, this review highlights key synergies, such as multimodal engagement, adaptive learning, seamless support across contexts, reinforcement of therapeutic skills, and comprehensive behavioral monitoring. These synergies illustrate how AI-assisted interventions can complement each other, creating a more personalized, engaging, and effective therapeutic experience. Furthermore, by synthesizing recent advancements, this review underscores the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and rigorous evaluation to optimize AI's role in child and adolescent mental health care. This systematic review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42025638495, January 27th, 2025).
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        pictorial
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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