Deakin seeks families to trial parenting support app

DEAKIN University is seeking families willing to help test a new app that aims to support parents through challenging moments with their young children and ultimately foster good mental health.

The Daily Growth app targets specific situations that parents of two- to five-year-old children commonly face, and arms them with tips and support to help guide the social and emotional development their children.

Research lead Deakin associate professor Elizabeth Westrupp said the ability to understand and manage emotions is critical for good mental health, building healthy relationships and ensuring positive experiences at school.

“Mental illness affects almost half of Australian adults over their lifetime – and an even higher proportion of Indigenous Australians,” Westrupp said.

“These illnesses typically begin in childhood and research shows that programs that improve children’s emotion regulation can prevent or reduce mental illness later in childhood.”

About 90 per cent of a child’s brain development is reached by the age of five.

When children are young, Westrupp said, they rely on their parents to teach them how to recognise and manage their emotions through co-regulation – but parents aren’t getting enough support to do this well.

“In fact, most families with kids aged two to five don’t receive any evidence-based parenting support,” she said.

“We know that modern families are busy, so we have designed a new, quick and convenient way for parents and carers to get parenting help for common challenging situations.”

Now in the trial phase, the Daily Growth app is the first to use daily surveys and micro-interventions to provide parenting support and is readily available on a smartphone.

It was developed by Deakin University researchers in partnership with Meli, The University of Melbourne and Aboriginal-led wellness organisation Wayapa Wuurrk.

“Every day at 7am and 7pm, we will ask parents a couple of questions, which they can answer when it suits them,” Westrupp said.

“These questions will help us to tailor our tips so they’re relevant to individual families. This means that families can get the type of support they need, exactly when they need it.”

Meli’s Tiffany Roussety, a mother to three young boys, said an app that can provide quick and convenient advice during challenging moments throughout the day would be beneficial for many parents.

“When you are feeling a bit frazzled as a parent, having a quick go-to that can help you think differently about a situation, or give you a different form of words to use with your child, would be hugely helpful,” she said.

“Our children look to us for support when they are overwhelmed, so giving them new ways to manage their emotions or tackle a new task or situation is going to help them grow into confident little people.

“It will also give us as parents peace of mind that we’re on the right track.”

For more information, or to help test the Daily Growth app, head to dailygrowth.deakin.edu.au