Effectiveness of mobile application-based perinatal interventions in improving parenting outcomes: A systematic review.
Joelle Yan Xin Chua, Shefaly Shorey
PMID 35985142WHAT IT FOUND
Mobile app packages for parents during pregnancy and after birth showed mixed results: some studies reported improvements in parenting confidence, depression, anxiety, social support and bonding, but many studies found no difference.
Key findings
01Two studies reported significant increases in parenting self-efficacy scores, while two other studies reported no significant difference.
02Only two of six studies reported significant reductions in anxiety; four reported no difference or no evidence of effect.
03Five studies reported significant decreases in depression scores, while five reported no significant differences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
All included studies had some concerns or high risk of bias. The review included only 12 studies, and results could not be pooled because interventions and participants were heterogeneous. Most outcomes were self-reported by parents, so social desirability bias is possible. Only three of 12 studies examined fathers, so the findings apply more to mothers. The apps delivered different combinations of education, peer support, therapy modules and exercise, so it is not possible to tell which component produced any effect. Few studies had follow-up assessments, so long-term effects are unclear. The review included English papers and lacked studies from the Middle East, Europe and Africa, so global generalisability is limited.
Declared interests
The authors reported no specific funding and no competing financial interests or personal relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a mobile application alone improves parenting outcomes. The included trials delivered packages that mixed education, peer support, therapy modules and professional contact, and many primary outcome results were not significant. All included studies had some concerns or high risk of bias.