Passive Vs. Interactive Digital Intervention for State Anxiety Among Undergraduates: Randomized Outcomes

The present RCT investigated the short-term effectiveness of a voice-based conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent (Maya and Miles) compared to a traditional psychoeducational video in reducing state anxiety among undergraduate students during exam periods. Sixty participants (aged 18–22) who reported elevated levels of state anxiety on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: the experimental group (n = 30) engaged in a 12–15-min interaction with a conversational AI agent (Maya or Miles), while the control group (n = 30) viewed a 15-min TED Talk on anxiety management. Pre- and post-intervention anxiety scores were recorded. A two-way mixed ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of time and group (F = 73.17, & 28.28 p < .001), respectively, indicating a reduction in anxiety across both groups. The group × time interaction was not significant, indicating no statistical evidence that one intervention was more effective than the other. However, effect size analysis revealed large within-group reductions in anxiety for both the conversational AI group (d = −1.12) and the video group (d = −1.10), underscoring the strong impact of both interventions. These findings suggest that both interactive and non-interactive digital interventions may serve as viable short-term tools for managing state anxiety in academic contexts. Future studies should explore longer-term effects and the role of user expectations and engagement styles in shaping outcomes.