Mental Health Professionals' Attitudes Toward ChatGPT-4o in Child and Adolescent Care

A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry has shed light on mental health professionals' attitudes toward the clinical use of ChatGPT-4o in child and adolescent mental health care. Although there is growing interest in using this technology, empirical studies on its clinical role remain scarce. The study aimed to explore the attitudes of child and adolescent mental health professionals toward ChatGPT-4o, focusing on its clinical applications, ethical implications, and integration challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• A sequential exploratory design was used, involving interviews to inform item generation and online surveys distributed to 166 child and adolescent mental health professionals.
• The survey instrument measured views across seven subscales and demonstrated strong internal consistency (a = 0.887 for child and adolescent psychiatrists; a = 0.903 for psychologists).
• 47.9% of psychiatrists and 40% of psychologists reported prior use of ChatGPT-4o.
• Child and adolescent psychiatrists rated 'Clinician-Facing Tool' and 'Acting as a Therapist' most favorably, while psychologists expressed the most positive views toward 'Bias' and 'Profession'.
• Both groups viewed 'Ethical Issues' least favorably.
• Comparative analyses revealed significant differences in views between psychiatrists and psychologists on several subscales, including 'Profession', 'Psychoeducational use within treatment', 'Patient-Facing Tool', and 'Crisis Prevention and Safety Planning'.
• Development priorities differed between the two groups, with psychiatrists emphasizing software support for diagnostic & treatment, system oversight, and ethics, while psychologists also prioritized system oversight and ethics.

Statistics:

• 47.9% of psychiatrists and 40% of psychologists reported prior use of ChatGPT-4o.
• 96 child and adolescent psychiatrists and 70 psychologists participated in the study.
• The study instrument demonstrated strong internal consistency (a = 0.887 for child and adolescent psychiatrists; a = 0.903 for psychologists).
• Psychiatrists scored significantly higher than psychologists on several subscales, including 'Profession' ( = 0.46), 'Psychoeducational use within treatment' ( = 0.43), 'Patient-Facing Tool' ( = 0.68), and 'Crisis Prevention and Safety Planning' ( = 0.69).

Sources:

• From promise to practice: insights into ChatGPT-4o use in child and adolescent mental health from professionals. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025;16:1668814.
• Frontiers in Psychiatry. (Address: Frontiers Media Sa, Avenue Du Tribunal Federal 34, Lausanne, Ch-1015, Switzerland).
• Izmir Democracy University. (Address: Izmir, Turkiye).
• Gizem Gerdan, Dept. of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology, Izmir Democracy University, Izmir, Turkiye.
• Armagan Aral, Mirac Baris Usta, and Ayse Erguner Aral.