Research for Ethical Factors Predicting ChatGPT use
Author Identifiers
Publication Date
2026
Document Type
Dataset
Keywords
ChatGPT, artificial intelligence, mental health support, privacy and confidentiality, AI ethics, Theory of Planned Behaviour
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
School or Research Centre
School of Arts and Humanities
Description
Although ChatGPT was not designed for therapeutic purposes, it is increasingly being used as an accessible source of informal mental health support. However, there is limited empirical evidence regarding users' ethical concerns about privacy, confidentiality, and advice quality, and whether these concerns influence engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI) mediated mental health support. Our main aim was to investigate whether these ethical concerns predict ChatGPT usage for mental health support. A sample of 256 individuals, predominantly university students, completed self-report measures to assess intentions to use ChatGPT for mental health support and ethical items related to privacy, confidentiality, preference for human support over ChatGPT, and concerns about AI advice. Results indicated that intentions to use ChatGPT, preference for human support over ChatGPT, and privacy concerns significantly predicted classification into the ChatGPT user group (adoption) versus the ChatGPT non-user group (rejection). In addition, two interaction effects showed that privacy and advice concerns moderated the relationship between intentions and ChatGPT use. Specifically, higher privacy and advice concerns reduced the strength of the association between intentions and ChatGPT user-group membership. Notably, the findings indicate ethical factors that may drive the adoption or rejection of ChatGPT for mental health purposes.
Research Activity Description
Ethical Factors that Predict the Adoption or Rejection of ChatGPT for Mental Health Purposes
Methodology
Online electronic cross-sectional web survey using Qualtrics software
Start of data collection time period
2024
End of data collection time period
2024
File Format(s)
SPSS (.sav)
File Size
< 1mb
Contact
Enquiries about the dataset may be sent to Scott Hannah: [email protected]
Citation
Hannah, S. (2026). Research for Ethical Factors Predicting ChatGPT use. [Dataset]. Edith Cowan University. https://doi.org/10.25958/26D8-KC70