Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

6-2026

Abstract

Background: Stress is widespread and carries substantial mental health, social, and economic burdens. Yet, access to clinician-led stress management remains constrained by service capacity, cost, and stigma. In response, artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled tools have rapidly proliferated as scalable, self-directed options. However, evidence on how these systems support stress management outside formal clinical settings remains fragmented. Objective: This systematic review aimed to synthesize empirical evidence on how AI-enabled technologies are used for self-directed stress management. We mapped the emerging functions of these tools, the psychological frameworks informing their design, the populations and settings studied, and the outcomes reported. Methods: We conducted a PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)–compliant systematic review of English-language studies published between 2000 and 2025. Six databases were searched (APA PsycINFO, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, ProQuest, and Google Scholar). Results: Of 3008 records identified, 35 studies met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of included studies was critically appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (version 2018). Findings illustrated that AI-supported stress management can operate through 5 core functions, including psychological intervention, behavioral support, psychoeducation, companionship, and emotional support, and stress monitoring, detection, and triage. Across the reviewed studies, these functions supported self-directed stress management by helping users identify stress, regulate responses, and engage in coping outside formal clinical care. Conclusions: AI-enabled systems show preliminary promise for supporting self-directed stress management through multiple user-facing functions grounded in established psychological frameworks.

Keywords

artificial intelligence, chatbots, conversational agents, digital mental health, stress management, self-directed stress management, self-guided intervention, psychoeducation, stress monitoring, PRISMA, systematic review

Discipline

Clinical Psychology | Health Psychology

Research Areas

Psychology

Areas of Excellence

Digital transformation

Publication

Journal of Medical Internet Research

Volume

28

First Page

1

Last Page

25

ISSN

1439-4456

Identifier

10.2196/90709

Publisher

JMIR Publications

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