Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Assess Family Functioning in Spanish-Speaking Parent and Adolescent Dyads:...

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Family Psychology
• Methodology

Background:

• Family functioning significantly impacts adolescent health outcomes.
• Traditional family-based interventions often rely on retrospective assessments, missing daily fluctuations.
• Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) offers frequent, real-time data collection but is underutilized for family functioning, especially in bilingual populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an EMA protocol for assessing family functioning.
• To analyze within-person and between-person variance in family functioning reports.
• To explore EMA's utility in primarily Spanish-speaking parent-adolescent dyads.

Main Methods:

• A 7-day EMA protocol using a daily questionnaire via app was administered.
• Participants (mothers and adolescents) completed baseline and acceptability assessments.
• Data included demographics, family functioning, and response rates.

Main Results:

• The EMA protocol was feasible and acceptable, with high participant satisfaction.
• Daily assessments were brief (mean 3 min 16 sec), and the response rate was 90%.
• Significant heterogeneity was found in family functioning reports between adolescents and parents, highlighting individualized patterns.

Conclusions:

• EMA is a valuable tool for capturing dynamic family functioning in adolescent-caregiver dyads.
• The study demonstrates EMA's utility in bilingual populations, offering a nuanced understanding of daily interactions.
• Findings suggest practical applications for EMA in clinical and research settings with diverse families.