Digital coping of parents in conflict-affected communities: a path to maintain health and well-being

Abstract Background Mobile apps such as WhatsApp have become significant resources for information and social support in times of crisis. Little is known about the role WhatsApp groups play in the context of living in conflict-affected regions. Living in such areas is associated with myriad mental health impacts, and recent studies have identified parents of young children as highly vulnerable in this regard. The study’s aim was to examine parents’ digital coping with political violence in southern Israel. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 parents of young children (<17) residing in communities near the Israel-Gaza border and who are members of local online parents’ groups on WhatsApp. Data were analyzed to answer questions regarding the benefits and disadvantages that parents assign to online groups; and regarding the role of digital communication in maintaining health and well-being. Results The findings reveal that online groups are often discussed as a shared and ubiquitous coping resource that supports mental health and well-being. Parents report they use the group to share ways to deal with the situation effectively and exchange social support, and as a space that facilitates community cohesion. Furthermore, during escalations, members perceived the group as the most trustworthy source of information. The groups’ continuous availability had drawbacks as well. Some participants pointed to digital stress caused by the fear of missing out on information, or by information overload. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of digital environments in helping parents cope with a collective stressor: a particularly worthy goal given that social media apps now constitute the primary online connection for most individuals. This has broad impacts on health promotion efforts for mental health issues related to political violence as well as other large-scale health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Key messages • Digital environments can serve as a platform for successful coping with collective stressors. • Health practitioners should consider drawbacks when planning digital support efforts.


Background:
Mobile apps such as WhatsApp have become significant resources for information and social support in times of crisis. Little is known about the role WhatsApp groups play in the context of living in conflict-affected regions. Living in such areas is associated with myriad mental health impacts, and recent studies have identified parents of young children as highly vulnerable in this regard. The study's aim was to examine parents' digital coping with political violence in southern Israel.

Methods:
In-depth interviews were conducted with 21 parents of young children (<17) residing in communities near the Israel-Gaza border and who are members of local online parents' groups on WhatsApp. Data were analyzed to answer questions regarding the benefits and disadvantages that parents assign to online groups; and regarding the role of digital communication in maintaining health and well-being.

Results:
The findings reveal that online groups are often discussed as a shared and ubiquitous coping resource that supports mental health and well-being. Parents report they use the group to share ways to deal with the situation effectively and exchange social support, and as a space that facilitates community cohesion. Furthermore, during escalations, members perceived the group as the most trustworthy source of information. The groups' continuous availability had drawbacks as well. Some participants pointed to digital stress caused by the fear of missing out on information, or by information overload.

Conclusions:
Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of digital environments in helping parents cope with a collective stressor: a particularly worthy goal given that social media apps now constitute the primary online connection for most individuals. This has broad impacts on health promotion efforts for mental health issues related to political violence as well as other largescale health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Key messages: Digital environments can serve as a platform for successful coping with collective stressors. Health practitioners should consider drawbacks when planning digital support efforts.

Background:
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications in pregnancy. Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy may reduce the adverse pregnancy outcomes. Digital phenotyping can develop interactive risk profiles to better reflect a person's daily mobility than traditional retrospective self-assessment questionnaires. Therefore, the aims of the proposed research are to 1) test the acceptability and applicability of the BEIWE app during pregnancy, 2) characterize daily physical mobility during pregnancy, and 3) describe differences in physical mobility in women with and without diabetes.

Methods:
This prospective cohort study will include 20 pregnant women with GDM and 20 without GDM from the Diabetes Center of the Medical Clinic or outpatient clinics of the Tübingen Women's Clinic, Tuebingen, Germany. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Tuebingen (004/2022BO1). At baseline (22 weeks gestation), participants will be instructed to download the app. Passive data (phenotypic information) is collected automatically during the observation period. The follow-up assessment will be conducted three weeks after delivery. The acceptance of the app and comparison of the groups with and without diabetes will be conducted through Statistical analysis.

Results:
Recruitment of participants has started and follow-up assessment is estimated to be finalized in fall 2022. Study design and results will be presented at the conference.

Conclusions:
PA during pregnancy has been associated with minimum risk of a pregnancy, and self-monitoring of PA via an app may play a role in improving pregnancy outcomes. However, the success of Apps depends on their validity and reliability, which lack evidence.
Key messages: The result of the study will develop a qualification measure for PA with no intervention. It also provides information for planning and conducting subsequent intervention studies.