JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Parent-child communication about sexuality education is critical for safe adolescent sexual development and wellbeing. Yet, there is evidence that these conversations are often ineffective. Digital tools have therefore emerged as promising interventions that may assist parents in addressing sensitive or difficult topics. However, our understanding of the factors that may motivate parental adoption of these technologies remains limited.

Objective:

This study aimed to explore factors associated with European parents’ intentions to use a digital tool designed to support parent-child sexual communication and complement school-based sexuality education. The study was conducted across the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Italy.

Methods:

Using the Technology Acceptance Model, we applied structural equation modelling to identify motivators of parents’ Intention to Use (ITU) the hypothetical app. This included Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU). PU was further analysed by its subcomponents, Relevance to Parenting (RP) and Quality of Technology (QT), through an alternative three-construct model. Additionally, the associations between demographic characteristics (age, gender, country of residence, and education level) and the latent constructs were assessed.

Results:

The explanatory power of the model was R2 = 0.47. PU was significantly associated with ITU (β = 0.67, p = 0.00), whilst PEOU showed no significant association with either ITU (β = -0.01, p >0.05) or PU (β = 0.10, p >0.05). An alternative three-construct analysis revealed that RP and QT were both independently significantly associated with ITU (β = 0.09, p = 0.00; β = 0.59, p = 0.00 respectively). Demographic characteristics were also significantly related with the latent constructs in the model.

Conclusions:

These findings highlight the critical role of perceived usefulness, specifically relevance to parenting needs and the perceived quality of technology, in shaping parental intentions to use digital parent-child sexual communication tools. Developers of educational digital technologies should therefore prioritise high-quality design features to inspire usage. Future research should evaluate real-world digital tools to assess actual usage, long-term engagement, and their effectiveness in enhancing parent-child sexual communication. Clinical Trial: Not applicable.