NCT05390918

Targeting Adolescent Insomnia to Lessen Overall Risk of Suicidal Behavior

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 235 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Jeff Bridge · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 11 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will test the effectiveness of a sleep-related primary suicide prevention program entitled TAILOR (Targeting Adolescent Insomnia to Lessen Overall Risk of Suicidal Behavior), which includes specific behavior-change strategies for adolescents at risk of suicidal behavior who suffer from difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, and/or insufficient sleep.

Detailed description

This study will test the effectiveness of TAILOR, a multifaceted intervention designed to reduce sleep problems and markers of suicide risk in adolescents. The TAILOR intervention will incorporate 3 different empirically-based behavioral-change approaches for addressing adult sleep and/or adolescent non-sleep behaviors, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and voice- or video call-based assistance with adolescents with recent suicidal ideation and either no history of suicide attempt or suicide attempt at least 3 months ago. Hypotheses: 1. Adolescents receiving the TAILOR intervention will have better sleep according to both youth and parent/Legal Guardian (P/LG) reports relative to adolescents in the Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) condition at 2 and 4 months. 2. The TAILOR intervention will result in significant reductions in suicidal ideation relative to the EUC condition at 4 months. Exploratory secondary aims: 1. Determine if (a) the response to the TAILOR intervention varies by gender, race/ ethnicity, medication status, or type of insomnia (e.g., difficulties falling versus staying asleep) and (b) TAILOR impacts other health risk behavior domains besides sleep and suicidal ideation. 2. Assess if improved sleep at 2 months mediates the relationship between receiving the TAILOR intervention and lower suicidal ideation at 4 months. 3. Test whether TAILOR is superior to EUC in reducing suicide attempts at 4 months. One hundred ninety youths aged 11 years, 0 months, to 18 years, 11 months, inclusive at time of consent, with sleep problems (within the past month) and suicidal ideation (within the past 90 days) will be randomized to either TAILOR (n=95 eligible participants) or to EUC (n=95 eligible participants). Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts about killing oneself, as well as contemplation of the when, where, and how of suicide. As such, suicidal ideation is considered proximal on a spectrum of severity for suicidal behaviors ranging from ideation to threats, to attempts, and to suicide. A major goal of TAILOR is thus to eliminate or at the very least minimize suicidal ideation. Study outcomes will be assessed at 2- and 4- months post-randomization by an independent evaluator blind to participant status. Primary study outcomes will be sleep problems and suicidal ideation, major modifiable markers of suicide risk. All randomized participants will be followed for the duration of the study regardless of treatment compliance or clinical outcomes according to the protocol assessment, and main study analyses will follow an intent-to-treat (ITT) approach.

Conditions

• Insomnia
• Suicidal Ideation
• Suicide, Attempted

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	TAILOR	The first TAILOR session will assess existing sleep problems from both the adolescent's and parent/legal guardian's perspectives, concluding with offering a CBT strategy to try. Session 2 will involve getting feedback from the family on that specific strategy and then offering additional CBT strategies. The remaining sessions will be devoted to refining the use of CBT strategies. MI will be integrated as the communication style throughout, including reflective listening, rolling with resistance, and showing deference to the family's ultimate decisions. The interventionist will also use the "elicit-provide-elicit" approach from MI. The interventionist will elicit the family's own ideas for improving the adolescent's sleep, ask for permission to provide his/her own suggestions, and then gauge the family's reactions to those suggestions, versus simply recommending a CBT strategy and problem-solving barriers to implementation.
OTHER	Enhanced Usual Care	The study clinician will conduct suicide risk screening and further assessment and safety planning where deemed necessary.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-10-20
• Primary completion: 2027-02-01
• Completion: 2027-02-01
• First posted: 2022-05-25
• Last updated: 2026-02-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States