Background:Children living in low socioeconomic status (SES) environments are more likely to develop behavior problems. Breastfeeding is one behavior that has been positively linked to mental health throughout childhood. We investigated whether breastfeeding modifies the association between low SES and behavior problems. Methods:We studied a subset of the Canadian CHILD cohort (N = 2,342). Lower SES (n = 592) was defined as one or more of: (1) low income based on family size, (2) single parenthood, or (3) maternal education below a post-secondary degree. Breastfeeding was reported by caregivers from birth to 2 years. The Child Behavior Checklist (mean 50, SD (10), comprising internalizing, externalizing, and total behavior scores) was administered at 5 years. We tested main effects and interactions between SES and breastfeeding on child behavior, adjusting for several maternal and child characteristics. Results:Lower SES was related to higher (worse) behavior scores (B = 2.06 [95%CI: 1.06, 3.07] for total behavior scores), while longer and more exclusive breastfeeding was related to lower (better) behavior scores (B = -2.43 [95% CI: -3.74, -1.11] for exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months, compared to no breastfeeding, for total behavior scores). We observed significant interactions between longer and more exclusive breastfeeding and family SES on internalizing and total behavior scores, indicating that the "socioeconomic gap" in behavior scores becomes smaller with more exclusive and longer breastfeeding. Conclusion:This study provides new evidence that breastfeeding may be one factor that can help reduce socioeconomic inequities in child behavior scores.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of the Families First Home-Visiting (FFHV) program, versus risk-matched controls, on mental disorder, education, and service use outcomes in childhood and adolescence. Methods: Administrative-linked data from a retrospective, population-based cohort drawn from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy repository, in Manitoba, Canada, was analysed. All families with a child born between 2003-2009 who were eligible for the FFHV program (N = 9,761) were included. Families were exposed to the FFHV program or not (risk-matched controls) when children were 0-3 years old. Outcomes of interest included mental disorders, educational, and service use. Moderators came from the FFHV program universal newborn screener and included child, parent psychosocial, and socioeconomic risk factors. Results: Children/Adolescents from the FFHV program were more likely to receive a mental disorder diagnosis (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, mood and/or anxiety disorders, any mental illness) and engage with health services compared to risk-matched controls. No significant difference in education outcomes were found. Outcomes were moderated by the presence of child (service use), parent psychosocial (mental disorder and Early Development Instrument), and socioeconomic (service use, provincial education assessments, and Early Development Instrument) risk factors identified at birth. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate mental disorders, educational, and service use outcomes for children/adolescents who previously received the FFHV program. Findings have important implications for tailoring home-visiting programs based on significant moderation of risk factors identified at birth to optimize child outcomes. Trial Registration: N/A

Introduction. There is a need for culturally-aligned wellness measures for Indigenous children, youth and families of turtle island (Canada). Following an identified community need, we co-developed a semi-structured discussion and arts-based measure with the guidance of an Indigenous Community Council. Methods. This study involved 12 adult community members, 11 of whom identify as First Nation and one of whom identifies a Métis. Two members were First Nations Elders. All members of the Council held knowledge related to mental health, wellbeing, social work, traditional knowledge, policy development, and/or Indigenous governance. Indigenous Community Council facilitated small group meetings were conducted online due to social-distancing pandemic requirements to develop a culturally grounded wellness assessment suitable for use with Indigenous children, youth and families. Results. Analyses suggest conversational and arts-based methods to be most culturally relevant in keeping with traditional values of relational wellbeing and storytelling. Additional themes of importance included reciprocity related to providing resources and tangible supports to those who interact with the wellness assessment. Wholism, a limited focus on numeracy, and a strengths-based approach were also revealed to be critical. These results produced the core questions to be used within the wellness assessment created in fulfillment of study aims. Implications and Future Directions. The purpose of the development of this tool is to meet the wellness needs of Indigenous children and families through traditional values and metrics of wellbeing. This approach is used to promote autonomy for Indigenous families by creating a means for understanding wellness developed by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people. The impact of this research will span across community, policy, and practice to contribute to health and wellness sovereignty for Indigenous Peoples in support of intergenerational family thriving.

Electronic health (eHealth) programs are a promising avenue to enhance the accessibility of parenting interventions that aim to improve parent mental health. However, engagement in eHealth parenting programs can be variable and sociodemographic factors may help elucidate for whom there are barriers. Such work may inform specific components of future eHealth interventions and support the scalability and effectiveness of existing interventions for those experiencing barriers. The current study aims to investigate the extent to which sociodemographic factors predict various engagement metrics in a novel eHealth parenting program (The Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (BEAM)). A secondary data analysis of engagement metrics was conducted with data from two separate randomized controlled trials (RCT) of the BEAM program. A total of n = 110 mothers (Mage = 31.85 years old, SDage = 4.67) of young children participated across both trials. We examined the magnitude of the relationships between sociodemographic predictors with distinct metrics of engagement. Program engagement was highest in the earlier weeks of the program and declined across later weeks (β = − .16, p < .001). Older mother age positively predicted several engagement metrics, including more time watching mental health videos (β = .34, p = .010) and parenting videos (β = .34, p = .010). Higher household income positively predicted more forum page views (β = .44, p < .001), number of BEAM sessions attended (β = .30, p = .006), and more weeks of BEAM program engagement (β = .35, p < .001). First time-parents engaged in fewer program weeks (β = − .25, p = .009). Number of children in the household, employment status, and living in an urban area did not significantly predict any program engagement metrics. Parent engagement varied throughout the program, and it may be beneficial to specifically target mid and later program engagement for participants. First-time and low-income parents may face additional barriers in participating in eHealth programs and benefit from additional support from the intervention team to bolster engagement. Additional research will be helpful in replicating and extending these findings with larger samples to optimize program engagement.

Fathers experienced high rates of mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social support is crucial to mitigate these problems; however, access to and quality of support were impacted by public health guidelines to increase physical distancing. Online forums offer an avenue for peer connection and support. Yet, minimal research has examined forum use during COVID-19. The objective of the current study was to examine the experiences and support needs of fathers during the pandemic through an exploratory qualitative content analysis of an online social support forum. Posts ( N = 299) and comments ( N = 2597) on Reddit’s sub-forum r/daddit (July and October 2020) were systematically analysed through a Framework Analytic Approach. Findings highlighted five main themes (with subthemes): forum use, family functioning, psychological and health factors, interpersonal functioning, and COVID-19. Findings underscore the critical need for mental health and parenting programs tailored to fathers and informing services to support father and family wellbeing.

Interview summaries are brief first impressions of the conversation, with identifying information changed or removed while keeping the sentiment of the story. Stories are a vital part of Indigenous cultures (Kovach, 2021; Wilson, 2008) and as caregivers shared their experiences, it was important to include these stories, in a summarized way, to highlight each caregiver’s individual experience before the experiences were intertwined to create themes.

Children are highly sensitive to adversity during their first five years of life, with exposure to chronic parental mental illness (MI) consistently linked to socio-emotional impairments and mental health problems in children. Children born during the COVID-19 pandemic were exposed to unprecedented levels of parental distress, with parental MI reported at three times the pre-pandemic rates. This situation underscored a pressing need for scalable solutions to foster positive mental health and developmental outcomes for a generation of children. In response, we developed the Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (BEAM) program, an innovative mobile health (mHealth) solution for parents of young children. Clinical trials to date evaluating BEAM have shown promising results, demonstrating reductions in parent depression, suicidality, anxiety, and harsh parenting practices. This trial involves an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design with co-primary aims of (1) determining BEAM’s effectiveness in improving parent mental health, and (2) evaluating the implementation of BEAM in the community through metrics such as feasibility, acceptability, and uptake. This trial’s secondary aim is to measure BEAM’s effectiveness in improving short-term child mental health and developmental outcomes using primary data and long-term psychosocial family outcomes using administrative data. A final exploratory aim of this trial will measure the cost-utility of delivering BEAM relative to extant health programming. A single arm trial with repeated measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the BEAM intervention in the community with a sample of 400 parent participants with a child aged 24–71 months. Participants must self-report moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, parenting stress, and/or anger at time of enrolment (T0) and live in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Individuals will be recruited through four streams including the (1) Manitoba Crisis Response Services, (2) primary care offices (paediatricians and/or general practitioners), (3) Manitoba family community organizations and child care centres, and (4) social media. Study participants will complete 12 weeks of psychoeducation modules, with access to an online social support forum and check ins with a peer coach. Assessments of parent and child mental health symptoms will occur at pre-test before BEAM begins (T1), immediately after the last week of the BEAM intervention (post-test, T2), 6-month follow-up (T3), and 12-month follow-up (T4). The BEAM program offers a promising solution to address elevated parental mental health symptoms, parenting stress, and related child functioning concerns. The present implementation trial aims to extend the groundwork established by an open pilot trial and RCT of the BEAM program, in a next step of testing BEAM’s readiness for nationwide scaling. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06455397. Registered on June 11, 2024.

The GetYourBenefits! Project began as an attempt to convince physicians that it is important to diagnose and treat poverty. The academics worked with community agencies and physician organizations to communicate about the government benefits for which individuals with low incomes and/or disabilities are eligible. The Project Manager and Outreach Officer met with and gave talks to community groups. The Financial Literacy and Empowerment Program Coordinator, Community Financial Counselling Services (CFCS), who leads Manitoba’s free tax filing clinics, led the development of the Get Your Benefits booklet. The authors decided communicating about the project was important. The project was funded by the Winnipeg Foundation with the collaboration of the Manitoba government and is being continued by CFCS. This paper describes how information on accessing benefits has been communicated to physicians, health care providers, and those who work in public health. Over 170,000 booklets were distributed. By the final year of the project (2023), over 85 websites had linked to the project website, a major growth over the nine websites linked in the first year of the project. Several updates a year were sent advising on opportunities for accessing benefits, with more than 270 individuals and organizations receiving these in the last year of the project. Accessing these benefits has brought and could bring additional millions of unclaimed federal dollars to eligible individuals across Canada. There is still much to be done.

Mental disorders are highly prevalent, and comorbidities between physical and mental health conditions are common. Physical comorbidities and family health histories may improve the accuracy of mental disorder risk prediction. We developed prediction models for mental disorder risk using comprehensive individual and family mental and physical health histories. We conducted a population-based cohort study using administrative Health data in Manitoba, Canada, and included adults between 1977 and 2020 with linkages to at least one parent and one grandparent. Mental disorders (mood and anxiety, substance use and psychotic disorders) for individuals, parents and grandparents were identified in inpatient and outpatient Health records. Predictors included demographics, family history of mental disorders and 130 health conditions in individuals, parents and grandparents. We used the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) logistic regression to build prediction models that sequentially included health conditions in individuals, parents and grandparents. Predictive performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and Brier score. Of 125 070 individuals identified, 109 359 had no preexisting mental disorder. 52.9

Maternal depression and anxiety dramatically increased for mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few programs target maternal mental health and parenting skills concurrently despite this being more effective. An eHealth program, Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (BEAM), was developed to address this gap. A feasibility randomized controlled trial was conducted with BEAM and a community partner versus an existing app for adult mental health (MoodMission). Mothers of children 6-18 months old participated in a two-arm, parallel-design pragmatic randomized controlled trial (April-June 2022). Mothers were randomly allocated to BEAM or MoodMission. Primary (depression, anxiety) and secondary (anger, sleep disturbance, parenting stress) outcomes were collected at preintervention, postintervention, and 6-month follow-up. Eighty mothers (M-age = 31.61 years old) were enrolled. All feasibility metrics were met based on a priori benchmarks for success. All maternal mental health and parenting stress outcomes decreased from pre-to postintervention and follow-up in BEAM and MoodMission. When controlling for symptom severity at enrollment, treatment group (BEAM, MoodMission) moderated anxiety symptom reductions such that BEAM was more effective in reducing anxiety symptoms across time versus MoodMission (b = -1.48, SE = 0.74, p = .045). Symptom severity at enrollment did not moderate symptom reductions, and there was no Symptom Severity x Treatment Group x Time interaction. Feasibility and effectiveness of BEAM was demonstrated for delivery with a community partner. Findings suggest BEAM holds the potential to promote the mental well-being of mothers of young children. Results have informed a future large-scale randomized controlled trial of BEAM across Canada.

Substance use disorders (SUD) in mothers of young children can negatively impact the family unit and promote the intergenerational cycle of mental health disorders. This systematic review aims to: 1) provide an overview of substance use treatments for mothers of young children (from birth to 5 years old); 2) synthesize findings on maternal substance use and child/maternal mental health outcomes; and 3) identify key treatment components. Database searches in Medline, PsychINFO, PubMED, and PsycARTICLES were conducted on May 7th, 2024. A total of 14, 916 articles were identified following duplicate removal. Articles were screened following PRISMA guidelines. Eight articles (n = 900) met inclusion criteria. Outcomes of interest included maternal substance use, child/maternal mental health, and treatment components. All studies indicated maternal substance use treatments were at least as, or more, effective in improving maternal substance use and child/maternal mental health outcomes compared to controls. Treatment components included: mother/family mental health, basic needs, parenting skills, occupation/education, operant conditioning, crisis management, and medical education. Operant conditioning was the only treatment component which appeared to positively impact maternal substance use outcomes; no other treatment components were associated with outcomes of interest. This review provides preliminary evidence highlighting the benefits of substance use treatments for mothers of young children on substance use and mental health outcomes. Future randomized controlled trials with harmonized outcome measures and qualitative data that identifies treatment needs of mothers with lived experience are crucial to evaluate maternal substance use treatments and improve treatment development.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for families of young children, with high rates of maternal mental health challenges and parenting stress. Past research draws an important link between the long-standing toll on the wellbeing of mothers, as well as the intergenerational impact for children when mothers suffer from mental health concerns. Objective: The current study aimed to demonstrate the uptake and utility of an accessible online treatment, which brings together Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and emotion-focused parenting practices, named The Building Regulation in Dual-GEnerations (BRIDGE) Program. We examined two telehealth-adapted versions of this transdiagnostic mental health & parenting program, in a non-inferiority trial.Methods: A mixed-methods pilot study design was used to explore the impacts of these two treatment versions. Participants (N = 40) were mothers of preschool-aged children, with an average child age of 4.30 years. Mothers all had persistent, recurring depression, with the majority of mothers also experiencing a co-occurring disorder (i.e., anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], alcohol/substance disorder or past manic episode). Mothers participated in one of two group therapy versions (group-based telehealth or psychoeducational video-enhanced group-based telehealth) and were asked to complete practice homework between sessions. Mothers completed weekly mood and parenting stress symptom monitoring, in addition to a pre- and post-program assessment.Results: Both online treatment offerings demonstrated a strong retention (92.3%) of participants and a clinically significant change in depression in 78.8% of mothers. There was a program-wide improvement in DBT skill use and improvements in effective coping and stress management. Significant medium effects were found on parenting stress and child mental health. Overall, there were benefits found in both study arms and minimal differences across groups. Mothers described enjoying the groups and found the peer support they received to be of utmost importance to their participation and symptom improvement. Despite being connected only virtually, mothers felt heard, supported, and valued by other members of the group.Conclusions: Maternal depression and effective parent-related coping can both be effectively targeted in a transdiagnostic treatment. Virtual treatments, including both traditional virtual therapy groups and psychoeducation video-enhanced in-group therapy offerings can provide mothers with a sense of belonging, support, and improvement in their mental health and parenting.

Coping Power (CP) is an evidence-based manualized group therapy targeting child conduct problems at the family level. We examined maternal-internalizing problems (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms) as a predictor of treatment response for children with disruptive behavior when comparing group treatment (CP) versus nonstandardizedindividualized treatment. Ninety-three mothers participated. CP was similar or better than individual treatment for families with maternal-internalizing problems. Marginally significant improvements in child conduct problems and inconsistent discipline were found among mothers in CP with internalizing problems. Findings highlight the potential efficacy of CP for child and parenting needs among families with maternal-internalizing problems.

Background While the impacts of atopic dermatitis (AD) on maternal and child sleep outcomes have been previously explored, less is known about the associations between infantile AD and sleep quality and quantity. Objective To describe the perceived causes of AD-associated maternal sleep disturbances and the association between AD severity and infant sleep outcomes. Methods Mothers with infants aged < 19 months old with a diagnosis of AD were recruited from social media and medical clinics in Winnipeg, Canada between October 2021 and May 2022. Infant AD severity was classified using maternal-reported data on the Patient-Oriented Scoring Atopic Dermatitis tool (PO-SCORAD). Quantitative data were collected via a series of questionnaires with a subset of mothers subsequently completing semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data were integrated in the discussion. Results Mothers of infants with moderate/severe AD (6/12) were more likely to report their infant suffering from a higher degree of sleeplessness (i.e., ≥ 5 on a scale of 0–10) over the past 48 h compared to mothers of infants with mild AD (0/18). This was supported by qualitative findings where mothers described how their infant’s sleep quality and quantity worsened with AD severity. Additionally, 7/32 mothers reported that their child’s AD, regardless of severity, disturbed their sleep. Maternal sleep loss was most commonly attributed to infant itching (6/7), followed by worry (4/7). Conclusion Infantile AD severity was associated with worse sleep outcomes for both mothers and infants. We propose that maternal and infantile sleep quality and quantity can be improved by reducing AD severity through adherence to topical treatments.

Purpose: Young mothers, defined as those age 25 and under, are at an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems. Despite this increased risk, very few mental health and parenting interventions that target the unique needs of this group are available. This scoping review summarized extant research on mental health and parenting eHealth interventions aimed at young mothers. Methods: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and PubMed databases were used for searches, and articles were screened using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage method for scoping reviews. The eligibility criteria included being peer-reviewed, written in English, published between January 1, 2000, and May 9, 2024, and being an eHealth program targeting mental health and/or parenting skills for women-identifying mothers under the age of 26. Results: After duplicate removal, 3,431 titles and abstracts were screened, and 112 articles moved to full-text review. Four studies were included, each assessing intervention components, targeting mental health and parenting, and outlining participant feedback on the treatment. Each study evaluated a different type of intervention, with depression being the most studied mental health outcome and coping skills being the most studied parenting outcome. Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest that eHealth features such as flexibility, text messaging, and peer support are appreciated among young mothers. Further research on mental health and parenting eHealth interventions aimed at addressing the needs of young mothers is needed.

Background. The measurement of wellness among Indigenous Peoples is crucial to understanding the needs of communities today and for generations to come. Here, we summarize extant research on assessments relevant to measuring the wellbeing of Indigenous children and families in Canada through an examination of existing international practices. A thoughtful identification of wellness metrics aligned with Indigenous cultural contexts is important because, in the past, wellness assessments that were not co-developed by Indigenous partners have perpetuated systemic harm. Objectives. The purpose of this study is to identify feasible and acceptable approaches to measuring Indigenous child and family wellness. Research objectives were to (1) to consult with Indigenous advisors to inform this phase and subsequent phases an overarching project (2) examine the available literature based on existing Canadian and international practices in wellness assessments as it relates to feasibility and acceptability of measuring wellness for Indigenous people. Eligibility Criteria. Measures and frameworks were eligible for synthesis in this review if they were used or developed across Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand; written in English between 2010-2020; related to wellness or adjacent topics; focused on wellness related to children, youth, adults, and/or families. Sources of Evidence. Databases consulted for the review included Google Scholar, PubMed, ProQuest, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were held with four Indigenous community members to advise on the process of developing such a project and to gauge considerations on the appropriateness of assessing wellness for Indigenous families. The review portion of the study was conducted by the first author and a research assistant using the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews protocol. Results. Results from interviews highlight a unique set of factors to consider from an Indigenous values perspective when assessing child wellness. These include incorporating elements of self-determination in both measure development and usage. Themes of family, community, strength-based approaches, and wholism were also emphasized. Results from the review found a total 896 relevant abstracts. Of these, 88 articles were reviewed, 16 measures, and four frameworks were eligible for synthesis. Conclusions. Findings exemplified an emerging assessment base for measuring wellness, though minimal work to date is directly designed to be culturally appropriate for Indigenous children and families. Moving forward, we will seek to fill this gap by supporting the development of a wellness measure with the potential to promote the adequate and equitable dispersion of support and resources to Indigenous families.

Positive and harsh parenting behaviors are implicated in the biopsychosocial development of children. Additionally, maternal parenting behaviors are linked to maternal physiology. Given these associations, the current study explores the link between maternal physiology and parenting behaviors through the novel use of wearable technology in a population of mothers experiencing elevated mental health concerns. This application of wearable technology allowed participants to stay in their natural environment without demand characteristics while data collection occurred. We hypothesized that maternal heart rate, sleep duration, and physical activity derived from wearable technology would be associated with self-report measures of parenting stress, overreactive discipline styles, and supportive parenting behaviors. Using physiological data and self-report measures from 66 maternal participants, linear regressions suggest that heart rate is associated with parenting stress, parental overreactivity, and supportive parenting behaviors. Results extend laboratory findings to a real-world context and speak to the potential of wearable technology in future family and parenting psychological research.

Objectives and ApproachThe effects of the timing and duration of economic deprivation and maternal mental health on intellectual development is researched using unique linkable databases following almost 90 thousand children born in the Canadian province of Manitoba. This paper studies such questions as: How important are differences in measurement of poverty in assessing intellectual development? How do various differences change over childhood? ResultsConcentrating on those born in 2000-2002 generated a total of 7,424 children having scores on all six measures of intellectual development. Such person-specific information controlled for many individual factors and extended from ages 5 through 17. Major differences were found in the scores associated with exposure to the two kinds of poverty and to poor maternal mental health. In summary, differences emerge by age 5, with administration of the Early Development Index. These differences are largely the same at age 8, even though another measure (the Grade 3 Competencies Index) is used. ConclusionsIf household poverty is taken as a definition of poverty, poverty seems much more important than maternal mental health in affecting a child’s intellectual development. However, if neighborhood poverty is used to define poverty, maternal mental health and poverty have effects on childhood intellectual development which are more similar. Definition plays a critical role in interpretation. ImplicationsThese population-based data, with multiple measures and multiple time points, suggest many analytical possibilities. If childhood conditions are included, the list of medical conditions which might correlate with intellectual development multiplies.

Objective Breastfeeding is associated with reduced postpartum depression, stronger parent-child relationships, and fewer behavioral disorders in early childhood. We tested the mediating roles of postpartum depression and parent-child relationship in the association between breastfeeding practices and child behavior. Study design We used standardized questionnaire data from a subset of the CHILD Cohort Study ( n = 1,573) to measure postpartum depression at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, parent-child relationship 1 year and 2 years, and child behavior at 5 years using the Child Behavior Checklist (range 0-100). Breastfeeding practices were measured at 3 months (none, partial, some expressed, all direct at the breast), 6 months (none, partial, exclusive), 12 months, and 24 months (no, yes). Confounders included birth factors, maternal characteristics, and socioeconomic status. Results Breast milk feeding at 3 or 6 months was associated with − 1.13 (95% CI: -2.19-0.07) to -2.14 (95% CI: -3.46, -0.81) lower (better) child behavior scores. Reduced postpartum depression at 6 months mediated between 11.5% and 16.6% of the relationship between exclusive breast milk feeding at 3 months and better child behavior scores. Together, reduced postpartum depression at 1 year and reduced parent-child dysfunction at 2 years mediated between 21.9% and 32.1% of the relationship between breastfeeding at 12 months and better child behavior scores. Conclusion Postpartum depression and parent-child relationship quality partially mediate the relationship between breastfeeding practices and child behavior. Breastfeeding, as well as efforts to support parental mental health and parent-child relationships, may help to improve child behavior.

Peer connections can be integrated in online and app-based (eHealth) family mental health and parenting programs through forums/chats or video group sessions. Little is known about parental preferences regarding eHealth features, yet they could be key factors influencing uptake and utility of programs. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine parent preferences for connecting with other parents in eHealth programs. Parents ( n = 177) of 0–5-year-old children in the United States were recruited on MTurk. Parents were asked about peer connection preferences through questions framed around how and with whom they would like to connect when using a virtual mental health and parenting support platform. Most (86.4%) preferred connecting with other parents in an eHealth program with 73.2% preferring to connect anonymously. If using a forum, 45.5% of mothers were comfortable connecting only with other mothers whereas 54.5% were comfortable connecting with parents of any gender; 80.3% of fathers were comfortable connecting with all parents. Results were similar for videoconferencing. Age, income, number of children, recent stressful events, social support, mental health symptoms, and parenting stress did not predict any of these preferences. Our results suggest that integrating peer connection should be considered in developing parental eHealth programs as it may be in line with the preferences of most parents and programs that match user preferences have been shown to have higher enrollment and adherence. These preferences should be further studied with community samples and diverse participants to strengthen confidence in the findings and properly inform program development.