MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND AI TOOL ADOPTIONAMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS IN AGRA AND DELHI NCR:AN EXPLORATORY CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Background: Mental health challenges among Indian college students are escalating, yet adoption of digital mental health interventions remains understudied. This exploratory study examined mental health experiences and artificial intelligence (AI) tool adoption patterns among students in diverse urban educational settings. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from January to July 2025 among college students (n=225) in Agra and Delhi NCR using convenience sampling. The structured questionnaire assessed demographics, mental health experiences, help-seeking behaviours, comfort discussing mental health, AI tool awareness/usage, and desired AI features. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Stress/anxiety prevalence was 77.1% (95% CI: 71.6%-82.6%), while professional help-seeking remained low at 16.3% (95% CI: 11.4%-21.2%). AI tool awareness was moderate at 28.9% (95% CI: 22.9%-34.9%), but actual usage was minimal at 10.8% (95% CI: 6.7%-14.9%). Students prioritized real-time support (26.9%), data privacy/security (26.4%), emotional intelligence (22.2%), and integration with human counselling (18.4%) as essential AI features. The sample comprised predominantly females (61.8%), aged 18- 22 years (70.7%), pursuing undergraduate studies (75.6%). Conclusions: Despite high mental health symptom prevalence, students showed limited professional help-seeking and minimal AI tool adoption. The substantial gap between awareness and usage suggests barriers including trust, privacy concerns, and perceived effectiveness. Future AI mental health interventions should prioritize privacy protection, empathetic design, and hybrid human-AI approaches to enhance acceptance among Indian students.