The Family Check-Up Online: Investigating Patterns of Engagement in a Digital Intervention for Parenting Early Adolescents

TL;DR

This study explores how parents engage with a digital parenting intervention for early adolescents and finds that higher engagement improves family outcomes.

Contribution

The study introduces a digital adaptation of the Family Check-Up intervention and identifies engagement patterns linked to family outcomes.

Findings

Parents with higher depression and stress showed higher engagement in coaching sessions.

Higher app engagement was associated with reduced parent anxiety.

Coaching engagement predicted improvements in family quality time.

Abstract

Early adolescence is a critical developmental period, and effective evidence-based parenting interventions during this time are crucial. Traditional parenting interventions are rife with barriers including cost, access, and availability of providers. The use of digital parenting interventions, such as the Family Check-Up (FCU) Online, can provide parents with needed supports and reduce barriers to access. The FCU Online is a flexible parenting intervention involving the development of parent training skills via an app and supplemental family coaching sessions. The intervention was adapted to respond to family-related stressors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The current study investigated patterns of parent engagement in the FCU Online and their links to family contextual factors and outcomes, with the following questions: (1) What are the rates of parent intervention engagement in the FCU Online coaching and the app? (2) Did parent intervention engagement differ based on individual or contextual factors (e.g., depression, SES)? and (3) Does engagement level in the FCU Online predict differential outcomes for parents and their families six months after intervention enrollment? Two groups for coaching and two groups for the app were created based on n = 74 parents’ engagement (Typical or High Engagement). One-Way ANOVA’s and MANCOVA’s were used to address the second and third research questions, respectively. All parents engaged in the FCU Online intervention. Parents with higher depression and stress, lower parenting confidence, and who had adolescents with more problem behaviors were in the High Engagement group for coaching. No differences in app engagement were found based on contextual factors. Higher coaching engagement predicted improvements in quality time, and higher app engagement predicted reduced parent anxiety. The FCU Online may be successful in maintaining parent engagement, particularly among parents needing more support with depression, stress, parenting confidence, and adolescent problem behaviors. Higher intervention engagement was beneficial for quality time and parent anxiety. This study (R01MH122213-01S1) was registered September 15th, 2020.