The Role of Artificial Intelligence In Diagnosing Mental Illnesses From The Perspective of Psychology Students

Abstract

This research aims to identify the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnosing mental illnesses from the perspective of psychology students, and to explore differences in these perspectives based on gender. The research employed a descriptive-analytical approach and developed a 30-item scale to measure the role of AI in diagnosing mental illnesses. The scale, distributed across five dimensions, is based on a five-point Likert scale and comprises: diagnostic effectiveness, data and analysis accuracy, acceptance by specialists, ethics and privacy, and integration with human diagnosis.The research sample consisted of 200 male and female psychology students from the College of Basic Education at Al-Mustansiriya University during the 2025/2026 academic year, with 119 males and 81 females.The results showed that students generally held a high level of appreciation for the role of AI in psychological diagnosis. The dimension of integration with human diagnosis received the highest percentage weight, reflecting students' adoption of an integrated view that emphasizes the importance of combining human expertise with intelligent technologies in the diagnostic process. The results also showed statistically significant differences based on gender, favoring females.

In light of these findings, the research recommends integrating artificial intelligence concepts into the academic curricula of psychology students and organizing training programs to raise awareness of the use of smart technologies in psychological diagnosis, while emphasizing ethical considerations and professional confidentiality.