„Unser kleiner Schreihals” – a psychoeducational app for parents of children with regulation problems
„Unser kleiner Schreihals“
Early childhood regulation problems are characterised by limited ability to regulate the child’s behaviour, which manifests itself in particular in insatiable crying, problems with sleep-wake regulation and/or difficulties with food intake. These often represent an enormous burden and challenge for affected families and can also have a negative impact on the development of infants and toddlers.
The psychoeducational app “Unser kleiner Schreihals” is intended to provide affected parents with early and low-threshold support and can thus supplement existing counselling services. The app was developed at the Chair of Social Paediatrics at the Technical University of Munich in cooperation with the University of Warwick (UK) and the Crying Outpatient Clinic at the kbo Children’s Centre in Munich and funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Health’s “Gesund.Leben.Bayern” initiative. The app contains scientifically based information on regulation problems. In addition to informational texts and expert videos, parents receive tips on how to deal with their child appropriately and are provided with relaxation and stress management strategies suitable for everyday use. A diary function can also be used to document the child’s symptoms. Information on professional treatment options and access to a Bavaria-wide directory of counselling centres is intended to encourage affected parents to seek professional support at an early stage. The “Unser kleiner Schreihals” study group conducted a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the extent to which an initial test version of the app proves useful for affected parents. The results showed that using the app reduced parents’ stress levels and improved their knowledge of regulatory problems. Feedback and suggestions for improvement were also collected from the participating parents, which are currently being implemented in a further round of app revisions. Once the app has been revised, it will soon be made freely available to affected families.
Contact person
Michaela Augustin
Psychologin (M.Sc.)
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Lehrstuhl für Sozialpädiatrie der TU München
Tel.: 089 71009-1490
E-Mail: Michaela.Augustin@kbo.de