Attitudes of University Students Toward Traditional Psychological Counseling and Counseling via Artificial Intelligence Applications

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify university students’ attitudes toward traditional psychological counseling and psychological counseling through artificial intelligence applications and to examine differences in these attitudes according to selected demographic and academic variables: gender, academic level, academic specialization, and income level. The study employed the descriptive-comparative method and included a sample of 842 undergraduate students at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University.

To achieve the study objectives, the researcher developed two instruments: the Attitude toward Traditional Psychological Counseling Scale and the Attitude toward Psychological Counseling through Artificial Intelligence Applications Scale. The psychometric properties of both instruments were verified in terms of validity and reliability.

The results revealed that university students held a high level of positive attitudes toward traditional psychological counseling and a moderate level of attitudes toward psychological counseling through artificial intelligence applications. A statistically significant difference was found between the two types of counseling in favor of traditional psychological counseling. No statistically significant differences were found in attitudes toward traditional psychological counseling according to gender, academic specialization, or income level. However, an overall statistically significant difference was found according to academic level, although the post hoc comparisons did not reveal significant differences between any specific academic levels. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences were found in attitudes toward psychological counseling through artificial intelligence applications according to any of the variables examined.

In light of these findings, the study recommended strengthening psychological counseling services within universities, utilizing artificial intelligence applications as supportive tools alongside traditional psychological counseling, and developing specialized Arabic applications that consider ethical and cultural factors when providing psychological support.