Exploring the Use of Ecological Momentary Assessment within a Telehealth Intervention for Families of Children with Autism

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Anna Wallisch, PhD, OTR; Lauren M. Little, PhD, OTR; Allison Wainer, PhD; Winnie Dunn, PhD, OTR, FAOTA

Abstract

Background. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to measure parent self-efficacy and stress throughout a 9-week occupation-based coaching telehealth intervention for families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Methods. The participants included seven families of children with ASD 2 to 6 years of age. The parents were sent emails to gather EMA measures weekly during the intervention. We used percentages to examine response rates to EMA surveys and a mixed-model regression to examine changes in parent-self efficacy and stress during the intervention.

Results. The parents responded to 78.57% of EMA requests, with five parents completing all measures. Using mixed-model regression, findings suggest that EMA captured a significant increase in parenting self-efficacy (p < .01) and a decrease in parenting stress (p < .05) over the course of the intervention.

Conclusion. EMA may be a useful method to gather measures of parent factors, and preliminary findings suggest that EMA may be an innovative way to measure outcomes of occupational therapy telehealth interventions for families of children with ASD.

Recommended Citation

Wallisch, A., Little, L., Wainer, A., & Dunn, W. (2023). Exploring the Use of Ecological Momentary Assessment within a Telehealth Intervention for Families of Children with Autism. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 11(4), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.2132