Sleep Treatment for Teens

NCT05397353 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: Pro2021001233
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 12
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research study is to test a brief (6-session), empirically supported, and highly disseminable version of digital (i.e., smartphone or web-based) cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (dCBT-I), called SleepioTM, in suicidal adolescents with co-occurring insomnia during the high-risk post-hospitalization period. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among adolescents. Sleep problems, such as insomnia symptoms-the most common sleep problem in youth-may be a particularly promising treatment target to reduce suicide risk in adolescents. The investigators propose to test the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of dCBT-I in a two-site (Rutgers and Old Dominion University) pilot study trial. Adolescents, 14-18 years-old, recently hospitalized for suicide risk with co-occurring insomnia (n=20 pilot, 50% at each site), will receive dCBT-I (six weekly, 20-minute sessions) plus post-hospitalization treatment-as-usual (TAU). Adolescents will complete assessments pre-treatment, during the treatment phase including at the end of treatment, and 1-month follow-up post-treatment.

Conditions

Sleep Problem; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide, Attempted

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Insomnia severity

  Insomnia Severity Index (same measure as baseline) assessed weekly from the beginning of treatment until the treatment is complete (or a maximum of 10 weeks to match assessment with the TAU only group).

  up to 10 weeks

• Suicidal thoughts

  Suicide ideation severity will be measured weekly with the Beck Suicide Ideation Scale (same measure as baseline) until the end of treatment.

  up to 10 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Sleep problems

  daily through study completion, up to 10 weeks

• Daily Suicidal Thoughts

  daily through study completion, up to 10 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Sleepio

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive the SleepioTM app

Other: Sleepio (TM)

Interventions

Sleepio (TM) OTHER

Sleepio is a mobile Digital Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (dCBT-I) app.

Sleepio

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age 14-18 years old (assessed via review of unit census).
• Recent psychiatric hospitalization due to suicide risk (i.e., suicide attempts, aborted/interrupted attempts, or suicide ideation with intent and/or a plan): assessed using an abbreviated version of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). In terms of recency, adolescents will need to enroll in the baseline assessment within three months of discharge from the hospital in order to assess the high-risk post-hospitalization period.
• Clinically significant insomnia symptoms: consistent with prior trials using the SleepioTM package, participants will be screened using the Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI)-an 8-item measure created by SleepioTM treatment developers to screen for DSM-5 insomnia disorder. The SCI assesses sleep duration, quality, and difficulties, and daytime impairment due to sleep problems; lower scores on the SCI indicate poorer sleep conditions and a cutoff of ≤16 indicates probable insomnia disorder, which will be the cutoff used for the current study.
• Motivation to engage in sleep treatment: consistent with other trials testing SleepioTM, questions will be used to assess perception of sleep problem severity and desire to change. The scale includes (1) "At present, sleep is a big problem for me" and (2) "I want to change my sleep" rated on a scale 0=strongly disagree to 10=strongly agree. Each item must be rated ≥5, in line with prior trials. Given this is a digital intervention, this criterion will help ensure we recruit adolescents who are likely to engage with treatment. Importantly, we note that prior trials have not needed to exclude anyone based on this criterion, reflecting the idea that the majority of participants we encounter will be motivated to engage in this novel treatment.

You may not qualify if:

• Prior CBT-I treatment (the intervention being tested in this study): prior treatment would indicate non-response to a reasonable dose of this empirically supported treatment.
• At high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): The STOP-BANG sleep apnea screening questionnaire (modified for adolescents) will be used to screen adolescents at high risk for OSA, who will be referred for a non-study polysomnography screening.
• Bipolar disorder: given concerns that certain components of CBT-I (i.e., sleep restriction) may be risky for this population.
• Substance use disorder that is primary to insomnia: significant substance use (alcohol or drug) disorders would require alternative treatment.
• Presence of factors that may reduce participant's ability to provide assent/consent or to complete the study procedures (e.g., non-English speaking, severe cognitive impairment, pervasive developmental disorder, acute psychosis, risk for other-directed violence).
• Unwillingness to wear the actigraphy device or to complete smartphone-based EMA at the time of enrollment: consistent with the research team's prior studies, if participants are actively enrolled in the study and then decide that they no longer want to wear the wrist actigraphy device, we will give them the option to continue only the SleepioTM and smartphone-based EMA parts of the study. • Not having a parent/legal guardian willing to provide permission (if adolescent is a minor) or consent (for their own participation): although permission is only required for minors, parents will be included for all adolescents to keep study procedures consistent for all participants.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey: lead
• Old Dominion University: collaborator
• Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare

Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, United States

Location

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia, 23529, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parasomnias; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide, Attempted

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Suicide; Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 19, 2022
• First Posted: May 31, 2022
• Study Start: February 10, 2023
• Primary Completion: January 24, 2025
• Study Completion: April 4, 2025
• Last Updated: June 13, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
• Time Frame: 1 year after the study is complete
• Access Criteria: Registration on NIMH Data Archive

Locations

US (2)