Ecological Momentary Assessment of Parental Well-Being and Time Use: A Mixed-Methods Compliance and Feasibility Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is increasingly used to capture real-time data on well-being and time use in daily life, yet its feasibility in specific, particularly time-strained populations, such as parents, is not well understood. OBJECTIVE This study examines compliance rates and feasibility of EMA for measuring daily well-being and time use among parents. METHODS An explanatory mixed-methods study was conducted with 74 parents who completed baseline and follow-up online questionnaires after completing EMA surveys four times daily over one week, whereby a subset of parents were subsequently interviewed about their experience. Compliance and feasibility were analysed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses. RESULTS Despite several aspects of the study design impeding feasibility—such as difficulties accommodating the 7:30 survey time point and challenges integrating daily surveys into individual routines—participants completed 82.5% of the daily surveys on average. Men showed significantly higher compliance than women. Participants generally found the survey frequency and length manageable, though some suggested longer or shorter study periods depending on their personal routines. Qualitative analysis revealed additional points for improvement, for instance, regarding the data collection format, and technical issues. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates that, when accounting for certain sociodemographic and study design factors, EMA can be a feasible method for data collection regarding daily well-being and time use, even in highly time-constrained populations like parents, showing great potential for future research and complementing established methods (e.g., retrospective daily diaries). CLINICALTRIAL Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/8qj3d INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/54728