THE EFFECTS OF CHATGPT AS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AMONG BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS AT BESTLINK COLLEGE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

The growing popularity of mental health chatbots presents an accessible alternative for emotional support, particularly for students who encounter barriers in accessing professional mental health services. This study investigates the effects of ChatGPT as an emotional support tool for Bachelor of Science in Psychology students at Bestlink College of the Philippines. It aims to assess its influence on emotional well-being, self-awareness, coping mechanisms, and access to immediate support. This study utilizes a quantitative comparative research design and employs stratified sampling to analyze ChatGPT’s impact. A total of 118 Psychology students participated in the study. Respondents were categorized according to age, gender, and frequency of chatbot usage. A structured survey questionnaire was used to measure perceived effects on emotional well-being, self-awareness, coping skills, and real-time support access. The findings revealed that ChatGPT was moderately effective in providing immediate emotional support (mean = 2.73) but showed limited influence on emotional well-being (mean = 2.32), self-awareness (mean = 2.47), and coping skills (mean = 2.41). Statistical analysis indicated no significant differences in perceived support based on demographic factors such as age, gender, or usage frequency (p > 0.05). Commonly reported limitations included lack of personalized responses, inadequate suggestions for coping strategies, and minimal encouragement for emotional introspection. The results suggest that ChatGPT serves as a supplementary tool for emotional support but remains limited in providing deeply personalized and adaptive psychological guidance. Enhancing chatbot features to include more tailored feedback and reflective prompts is recommended to increase its effectiveness as a mental health support resource for students.