JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The natural integration of mobile phones into families’ daily routines provides novel opportunities to study and intervene with families in situ and in real time.

Objective:

This study aimed to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of using a smartphone application (app) for self-monitoring to improve family functioning with 36 participants across 13 families.

Methods:

Participants completed daily diaries and ecological momentary assessments (EMA) by smartphone app over two weeks. EMA and diary domains included parental monitoring and positive parenting, parent involvement and discipline, parent-child conflict and resolution, positive interactions and support, positive and negative affect, sleep, stress, family meals, and general child and family functioning. Qualitative interviews assessed children’s and parents’ experiences regarding mobile self-monitoring generally and with prompts for positive and negative feedback.

Results:

Nearly all participants in the qualitative interviews reported increased awareness of their families’ daily routines and functioning, while most reported positive behavior changes in the following domains: decision-making, parental monitoring, quantity and quality of time together, communication, self-regulation of stress and conflict, discipline, and sleep. Self-monitoring functions are rooted in reactivity to EMAs and include reflection on antecedents and consequences of situations, prompting positive and negative alternatives, seeding goal setting, and reinforcement by self-tracking for self-correction and self-reward.

Conclusions:

These results support the feasibility and acceptability of using smartphone EMA over two weeks. Future studies should include larger samples, higher risk populations, longer study durations, and potentially integration with counseling and parenting interventions.