WellbeingNCT07476833
Capturing Parental Wellbeing in Everyday Life Through a Mobile Diary App
An observational study of Wellbeing and Sleep, run by Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
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… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any age
- Conditions the study is for
- Wellbeing, Sleep, Support, Family
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2026to 31 Jul 2026
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: Parents of children aged between 0 months - 11 years and 11 months living in Switzerland.
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
- All Children > 11 years and 11 months of age
- Not German speaking
- Swiss nationality but living abroad
- No smartphone with internet access
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Switzerland1 site
Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences
Sankt Gallen
Sebastian Müller, +41 58 257 14 68, sebastian.mueller@ost.ch
About this study
Official title: Parental Wellbeing in Everyday Life: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study on the Wellbeing of Parents of Children Aged 0 - 12 in Switzerland
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.
Read the detailed description
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.
- Conditions
- Wellbeing, Sleep, Support, Family
- Keywords
- Parental Wellbeing
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Parents of children aged between 0 months - 11 years and 11 months living in Switzerland. | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Momentary Parental Subjective Wellbeing
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).
Measured: Repeated assessments three times per day during the 14-day EMA monitoring period.
Secondary outcomes (9)
Sleep satisfaction
Self-reported sleep satisfaction ("How satisfied were you with your sleep last night?" Items: "very dissatisfied", "dissatisfied", "neutral", "satisfied", "very satisfied")
Measured: Assessed each morning during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Number of sleep interruptions
Self-reported number of nocturnal awakenings.
Measured: Assessed each morning during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
End-of-day global satisfaction
Daily overall satisfaction ("How satisfied were you with your day overall?" Scale: 0 - 10, endpoints "very dissatisfied" - "very satisfied")
Measured: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Daily caregiving load and time allocation
Self-reported hours spent in childcare, additional care work, and time available for personal interests.
Measured: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Perceived support in childcare
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")
Measured: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Available parenting resources
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")
Measured: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Parental conflicts
Self-reported conflicts with partner ("My partner and I had misunderstandings, tensions, or arguments." Scale: 0-100, endpoints "Not at all" - "Always")
Measured: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Child behavior
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")
Measured: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Rewarding and challenging situations for parents
Self-reported experience of rewarding and challenging sutiations, description of the situation(s) with text
Measured: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Mar 2026
- Study start1 Mar 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for WellbeingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Matthias Baldauf, PhD, Principal investigator, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07476833
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 220608-1
- Other IDs
- 220608
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 27 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 17 Mar 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Study protocol, data dictionary, diary study data
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Parental Wellbeing in Everyday Life: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study on the Wellbeing of Parents of Children Aged 0 - 12 in Switzerland
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07476833
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 220608-1
- Conditions
- Wellbeing, Sleep, Support, Family
- Keywords
- Parental Wellbeing
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Eastern Switzerland University of Applied SciencesUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 17 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Detailed description
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.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Parents of children aged between 0 months - 11 years and 11 months living in Switzerland. | – | – |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Parents of children aged between 0 months - 11 years and 11 months living in Switzerland.
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- All Children > 11 years and 11 months of age
- Not German speaking
- Swiss nationality but living abroad
- No smartphone with internet access
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
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).
9 secondary outcomes
Sleep satisfaction
Time frame: Assessed each morning during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Number of sleep interruptions
Time frame: Assessed each morning during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
End-of-day global satisfaction
Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Daily caregiving load and time allocation
Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Perceived support in childcare
Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Available parenting resources
Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Parental conflicts
Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Child behavior
Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Rewarding and challenging situations for parents
Time frame: Assessed each evening during the 14-day EMA monitoring period
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Mar 2026.
- Funding agency's project description (Swiss National Science Foundation)Link provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Study protocol, data dictionary, diary study data
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Matthias Baldauf, PhD principal investigator
Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Wellbeing and Sleep, run by Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 8 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Sebastian Müller (+41 58 257 14 68, sebastian.mueller@ost.ch), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Momentary Parental Subjective Wellbeing (time frame: Repeated assessments three times per day during the 14-day EMA monitoring period.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Mar 2026.