Mental health promotion in disasters: exploring the synergy of artificial intelligence, spirituality, and psychology: a SWOT analysis

BackgroundNatural and man-made disasters affect people's lives yearly and may lead to suffering, poverty, and psychological challenges. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive SWOT analysis, uncover the current strengths and weaknesses of AI, and identify potential opportunities and threats to successful provision of psychological first aid (PFA), using spirituality and AI to prompt mental health.MethodsThe reviews of studies and articles related to Spirituality and AI in providing PFA from 2000 to January 2025 in English or Persian have been analyzed according to the research question. A total of 106 articles, in the PubMed, SID, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, as well as the Google Scholar search engine were included. Two independent reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the 30 included studies using the PRISMA checklist. Thematic analysis was conducted manually to categorize the data into the four domains of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).ResultsThis paper examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and spirituality in psychological first aid (PFA) during disasters using the SWOT analysis. The discussion includes strengths such as rapid, spiritually aligned mental health assessment and widespread access to services, along with weaknesses such as AI's limitations in understanding empathy and cultural and religious sensitivity. Opportunities for improving the accuracy of care and integrating spiritual practices to accommodate diverse needs are also explored. In contrast, threats such as data privacy risks, algorithmic biases, and ethical concerns around informed consent and over-standardization of care are also addressed. This comprehensive approach simultaneously highlights the potential and challenges of using AI in PFA service delivery.ConclusionAI offers transformative potential for scaling mental health support in disasters through rapid, data-driven interventions. Yet, its success depends on overcoming ethical, cultural, and infrastructural challenges. A hybrid model that fuses AI's efficiency with human expertise and spiritual resilience is essential for equitable, context-sensitive care. Future efforts should emphasize ethical regulatory frameworks, interdisciplinary responder training, and international collaboration among technologists, policymakers and spiritual leaders.