Educational interventions using digital technologies to promote parental empowerment in situations of vulnerability: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To map educational interventions using digital technologies that promote parental empowerment in situations of vulnerability. METHOD: A scoping review according to the JBI methodology was conducted. Searches were carried out in the CINAHL, MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection, MedicLatina, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Clinical Answers, and Web of Science databases, as well as in the Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal and the Google Scholar search engine. Eligibility criteria included parents and families in situations of vulnerability, digital educational interventions promoting parental empowerment, and all intervention settings. RESULTS: 984 records were identified, and ten studies were included. The evidence was distributed across four axes of vulnerability, involving participants from the gestational period to early childhood. Interventions were conducted in hospital and/or home settings, with mobile applications predominating, followed by platforms/websites, with occasional use of social media, messaging, and video resources. Information provision predominated, frequently combined with emotional regulation. Minority interventions involving behavior demonstration and environmental modification were also identified. CONCLUSION: Digital educational interventions appear promising and complementary to in-person care, strengthening the relationship and communication between parents and professionals and enabling more accessible, customizable, and continuous care.