Frequently Asked Questions

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 260-266-7771.

No, your child must be less than 13 months old for you to participate in this research.

No, your child must be at least 1 month old for you to participate in this research. You could still contact us and we could contact you here in a month or so.

We understand that life happens. Simply let us know and we will direct you from there.

No, only one caregiver participates in the study from each family.

No, there are multiple parts to this study. First, you will complete an online baseline survey. Then, we will email you with instructions on how and when to install a study app on your phone, which will measure your phone and app use for 8 days. On those same 8 days, you will also complete nightly online surveys, where you will report on your time use, such as wakeup, bedtime, sleep, time with your child, time at home, meals/feeding of child, etc. There is also a follow-up online survey about a month after the daily surveys. Finally, about 30 to 50 parents (out of the 250 to 300 parents who are enrolled in the study) will be selected for a follow-up interview and potentially for focus group discussions.

We will email your survey links to the email address you provided to us. Remember that you need to enter your ID number at the beginning of each survey.

When you enrolled in our study, we assigned you an ID number. This ID number was sent to you in an email. If you can’t find it, email us at [email protected]. We have you use an ID number so that your survey responses and other data are not connected to your name or other personal information. In other words, your ID number keeps your information confidential and safe.

When it is time for you to begin your 8 days of nightly surveys, you will receive an email with the link to your surveys. You will then click on this same link each night (shortly before you go to bed). The process is: (1) Click on the daily survey link in your email; (2) Complete your survey for that day; (3) After you are done with the survey, close that browser tab or web browser and you are done for that day; (4) The next day, shortly before you go to bed, you will click on that link again and repeat the process.

Yes, your progress on your baseline and follow-up survey is saved. To return to the survey, simply click the survey link again in the email from us. However, the daily surveys across the 8 nights must be completed each night all in one sitting, so please plan accordingly.

No, the app does not track your location or contacts.

The phone study app does not track any information about the private content of your phone use. In other words, while it notes when certain apps are running – such as Internet browser, Facebook, Instagram, etc. – it cannot and does not track any contacts made through those apps, what is posted on social media, the content of emails or texts, phone numbers dialed or messages/calls received, etc. Your personal information is safe and is not collected by the app.

We will send text message and/or email reminders to you. During the baseline survey and one-month follow-up survey, reminders would likely be about every 3 days or so. During the nightly surveys portion of the study, you should receive a reminder each evening for 8 days in a row. Not receiving your reminders? See the next question…

If you are not receiving text message or email reminder messages from us, please check your spam/junk folder in your email inbox. The messages may be there, and you can mark these as safe messages. You can also add our email address [email protected] to your contact list. If you cannot find the messages, please contact us via email or at 260-266-7771.

It would be best to take note of each day you fill out the survey so that you know when you have taken the survey 8 times across 8 nights. Still, you should receive an email message reminder each of the 8 days you are supposed to fill out your nightly survey.

You will be compensated via an Amazon gift card code for each part of the study that you complete. It will be emailed to you within 3 weeks of you completing each part of the study.

Thank you for your time! To stop participating, simply uninstall the study app from your device and contact the research team to let us know that you would like to stop participating in the study. We will then remove you from our study lists and you will no longer receive messages from the research team for this study. If you have given us prior permission to contact you about future studies, you may receive messages about future studies. If you would like to be removed from the future studies list, please let us know.

It is not anticipated that participation in this study will have any bad outcomes for you or create anything, if at all, beyond minor emotional discomfort. If you are experiencing distress related to any of the topics being studied, we wish to remind you that your reactions to questions are not being directly monitored and that there will be no assistance provided by the study in response to your answers on any questions. Should you need assistance in coping, please contact your primary care physician or contact one of the following:

• National Parent Helpline 1-855-427-PARENT (2736)
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255