Social chatbots and emotion regulation in daily life: Examining parasocial interaction and resilience among Chinese individuals with self-reported depressive symptoms

Depressive symptoms have become an important public health concern in China. In this context, social chatbots are increasingly used as self-help tools for emotional expression and support. This study quantitatively examines how technology perceptions and proactive interactions with social chatbots are associated with emotion regulation among Chinese individuals with self-reported depressive symptoms in non-clinical settings. An online survey was conducted with 488 participants who reported depressive experiences and prior use of social chatbots for emotional support. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and path analysis. Results indicate that (a) perceived ease of use was positively associated with perceived usefulness, (b) perceived usefulness was positively associated with parasocial interaction, and (c) parasocial interaction was positively associated with emotion regulation. In addition, (d) psychological resilience moderated the association between parasocial interaction and emotion regulation, such that the positive association was stronger at higher levels of resilience. These findings highlight the potential role of social chatbots in everyday emotional support and offer implications for the design of AI-based tools that facilitate emotional disclosure and adaptive self-regulation.