Parent eHealth preferences: Perceived credibility and personal reactions to AbilitiCBT, BEAM, and Triple P Online

Parental eHealth needs and preferences are unknown. Evidence from in-person programs shows that programs that prioritize parent preferences have higher enrollment and adherence. Better knowledge of parental impressions and preferences based on current eHealth programs could help identify programs that are most in line with parental values, goals, and needs. Accordingly, the present study aimed to compare parental perceptions and preferences based on textual descriptions of three eHealth programs that have been prescribed to parents: AbilitiCBT (mental health-focused), BEAM (mental health and parenting-focused), and Triple P Online (parenting-focused). 177 parents of 0-5-year-old children in the United States were recruited through MTurk. Mental health symptoms in this sample were high (70.1% clinically concerning depression and/or anxiety symptoms and 74.6% clinically concerning parenting stress symptoms). Results showed that Triple P was less likely to be chosen than AbilitiCBT or BEAM; AbilitiCBT seemed more helpful to participants. There was considerable variability, and all programs were preferred by at least 17% of parents. Overall, the present study suggests that parents experiencing high psychological distress are less likely to choose to participate in a parenting program without mental health support and that it is important to offer diverse psychosocial service options to meet the needs of more parents. Further research is needed to identify specific program characteristics that parents prefer as well as parents’ rationale for their choices, which would help better tailor interventions to their preferences.