From Intentions to Impact: A Comprehensive Study of Parents’ Concerns, Trust, and App Use in the Context of Evidence-Based Parenting Advice in the Digital Age

Abstract This study investigates the relationship between parenting concerns and parental trust, intention to use, and the actual use of an evidence-based parenting app designed to support children’s socio-emotional development. We found that sustained engagement with the app could not be predicted by parenting concerns, trust, or intention to use the app. Trust levels increased with app use, while parenting concerns decreased. Intense engagement, as indexed by number of app sessions, and positive app rating led to increases in trust, but they were not associated with changes in concerns. This research contributes to our understanding of trust dynamics in digitally delivered and evidence-based parenting advice and highlights the need for differentiating between intention to use and actual use in this area.