Development of MyTeen Text Messaging Program to Support Parents of Adolescents: Qualitative Study

Parents play an important role in the lives of adolescents, and supporting and addressing the needs of families continue to be the focus of many researchers and policy makers. Mobile health interventions have great potential for supporting parents at a population level because of their broad reach and convenience. However, limited evidence exists for such interventions for parents of adolescents. This study reports on the formative work conducted with parents and/or primary caregivers to identify their needs and preferences for the development of MyTeen-an SMS text messaging program on promoting parental competence and mental health literacy for parents of adolescents (aged 10-15 years).

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore parents and/or primary caregivers' perspectives around youth well-being, parenting, and parenting support and their input on the development of MyTeen SMS text messaging parenting intervention.

A total of 5 focus groups (n=45) were conducted with parents or primary caregivers of adolescents aged 10 to 15 years between October and December 2017 in New Zealand. A semistructured interview guideline and prompts were used. Data were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Participants were concerned about youth mental health (ie, stigma and increasing demand on adolescents), and a number of parenting challenges (ie, social expectations, time, impact of technology, changes in family communication pattern, and recognizing and talking about mental health issues) were noted. Importantly, participants reported the lack of services and support available for families, and many were not aware of services for parents themselves. A number of recommendations were given on the style, content, and frequency of developing the text messaging program.

Findings from this qualitative work informed the development of MyTeen, an SMS text messaging program designed to increase parental competence and improve mental health literacy for parents of adolescents.