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NCT Number: NCT07476833

Capturing Parental Wellbeing in Everyday Life Through a Mobile Diary App

This observational study investigates the wellbeing of parents in German-speaking Switzerland in everyday contexts using smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Family caregiving can be both rewarding and burdensome, yet little is known about how parental wellbeing fluctuates in daily life and across caregiving situations. The study aims to examine momentary subjective wellbeing, caregiving activities, and contextual factors in natural settings. Participants complete repeated real-time assessments via a digital diary application five times a day over a 14-day study period. The study seeks to characterize within-person variability in parental wellbeing and identify contextual factors associated with positive and negative daily experiences.

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Key information

Conditions

Wellbeing Sleep Support, Family

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

About this study

Family caregiving is essential for individual and societal wellbeing but is often associated with ambivalent experiences, including both reward and overload. However, parental wellbeing has rarely been examined using intensive longitudinal, real-time methodologies.

This observational study uses Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to capture parents' subjective wellbeing in their natural environments. Participants complete five smartphone-based assessments per day over the 14-day study period. Measures include momentary wellbeing, emotions, (caregiving) activities, as well as rewarding and challenging situations.

The EMA approach minimizes retrospective bias and enables the investigation of within-person fluctuations and context-dependent variations in wellbeing. The study aims to identify patterns of daily parental wellbeing and examine associations between caregiving contexts and subjective experiences. Findings are expected to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of parental wellbeing in everyday life and inform future support approaches.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Parents living in Switzerland

  • with at least one child aged between 0 months - 11 years and 11 months
  • German-speaking
  • any form of parenting
  • any relationship status
  • any form of couples or other forms of cohabitation
  • No restrictions regarding nationality, wealth, external childcare, employment (full-time, part-time or homemaker) or similar characteristics.

Participants must have a smartphone with internet access to participate in the mobile diary study

Exclusion criteria

  • All Children > 11 years and 11 months of age
  • Not German speaking
  • Swiss nationality but living abroad
  • No smartphone with internet access

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Momentary Parental Subjective Wellbeing

    Time frame: Repeated assessments three times per day during the 14-day EMA monitoring period.

    Momentary wellbeing assessed via smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) three times daily. The measure includes multiple bipolar affective rating items (tired-awake, satisfied-unsatisfied, calm-restless, energized-exhausted, relaxed-tense, well-unwell, stressed-not stressed) and an emotion wheel. Items are rated in real time to capture current subjective wellbeing in naturalistic settings. The focus is on observing within-subject fluctuations in well-being throughout the study period and how these are influenced by various contextual factors (e.g., time use, childcare support, sleep).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Sleep satisfaction

    Time frame: Assessed each morning during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported sleep satisfaction ("How satisfied were you with your sleep last night?" Items: "very dissatisfied", "dissatisfied", "neutral", "satisfied", "very satisfied")

  2. Number of sleep interruptions

    Time frame: Assessed each morning during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported number of nocturnal awakenings.

  3. End-of-day global satisfaction

    Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Daily overall satisfaction ("How satisfied were you with your day overall?" Scale: 0 - 10, endpoints "very dissatisfied" - "very satisfied")

  4. Daily caregiving load and time allocation

    Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported hours spent in childcare, additional care work, and time available for personal interests.

  5. Perceived support in childcare

    Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported receipt of support from partner or other persons in childcare. ("Today, I received support from my partner with childcare." Scale: 0-100, endpoints "Not at all" - "Always" and "Today I received help from people other than my partner) with childcare." Scale: 0-100, endpoints "Not at all" - "Always")

  6. Available parenting resources

    Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported availability of resources ("Today, I lacked the resources (e.g., time, energy) to take care of my children." Scale: 0-100, endpoints "Not at all" - "Always")

  7. Parental conflicts

    Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported conflicts with partner ("My partner and I had misunderstandings, tensions, or arguments." Scale: 0-100, endpoints "Not at all" - "Always")

  8. Child behavior

    Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported positive and negative child behavior ("I shared positive moments with my children." Scale: 0-100, endpoints "Not at all" - "Always" and "I shared difficult moments with my children." Scale: 0-100, endpoints "Not at all" - "Always")

  9. Rewarding and challenging situations for parents

    Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period

    Self-reported experience of rewarding and challenging sutiations, description of the situation(s) with text

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Sebastian Müller

CONTACT

[email protected]

+41 58 257 14 68

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Parental Wellbeing in Everyday Life: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study on the Wellbeing of Parents of Children Aged 0 - 12 in Switzerland

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Mar 17, 2026
Registry last updated
Mar 17, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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