NCT06358495

Improving Sleep to Prevent Depression & Anxiety in Adolescents at High Risk

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Calgary · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 12 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Emerging evidence has shown that sleep interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) improve depressive and anxiety symptoms in adults, even when the intervention is brief, such as four to six sessions. The overarching aim of the proposed research is to conduct a pilot trial to evaluate whether a brief intervention for insomnia adapted for improves sleep and subthreshold depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents at risk (i.e., with a parental history of depressive or anxiety disorders).

Detailed description

A substantial body of literature has linked poor sleep or insomnia to the development of internalizing (i.e., depression and anxiety) disorders in adolescents. Emerging evidence has also shown that sleep interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) substantially improve depressive and anxiety symptoms in adults, even when the intervention is brief, such as four to six sessions. However, no research has examined whether sleep interventions may be effective in preventing first lifetime onsets of internalizing disorders in adolescents at high risk of internalizing disorders, but who have yet to develop them. The overarching aim of the proposed research is to conduct a pilot trial to evaluate whether a brief intervention for insomnia adapted for adolescents improves sleep and subthreshold internalizing symptoms in high-risk adolescents. Results of this project would provide crucial preliminary evidence that a non-invasive, economical, and easily administered sleep-based intervention may prevent first onsets of the most common and debilitating illnesses in teens. Among adolescents, internalizing disorders are a leading cause of global burden of disability, and unfortunately one of the leading causes of death due to suicide. Children with a parental history of internalizing disorders are 3-7 times more likely to develop internalizing disorders relative to children with no such family history. Approximately 75% of internalizing disorder onsets occur in adolescence. Affected youth are at risk for several sequelae including substance dependence, educational underachievement, and unemployment. For the majority of those who have had one episode, the disorder will become chronic. With each recurrence, treatment prognosis worsens. There is thus a critical need to prevent first lifetime onsets of internalizing disorders, among high-risk adolescents in particular, through interventions targeting modifiable risk factors. Improving sleep may be a feasible, economic, and effective method for prevention of internalizing disorders in high-risk teens. Research Aims: 1. To examine if brief web-based CBT-I reduces insomnia symptoms and improves sleep quality in teens at risk for internalizing disorders, compared to a treatment as usual (TAU) waitlist group who receive a psychoeducational pamphlet about sleep hygiene. 2. To examine if CBT-I improves subthreshold internalizing symptoms in teens who have a family history of depressive or anxiety disorders but no clinically significant history themselves.

Conditions

• Insomnia
• Sleep Disturbance
• Depressive Symptoms
• Anxiety Symptoms

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia	Digital CBT-I is an online, six-module, self-guided CBT-I intervention. It includes videos and read information on behavioral (e.g., stimulus control, relaxation) and cognitive (e.g., restructuring, reducing arousal, and problem-solving) techniques, as well as psychoeducation (e.g., sleep hygiene). Participants complete homework following each session and track their sleep using an online diary. Young people could choose to involve their parents, for example, through completing sessions together. However, we will add a virtual session for parents as their involvement may improve adolescent engagement with the intervention as well as outcomes for adolescent sleep problems (Gradisar et al., 2011). This module will include an overview of the program components (behavioural, cognitive, and educational), goals and homework, and addresses parents' beliefs about sleep.
OTHER	Active Control	Participants are encouraged to continue any care they are already receiving and will be placed on a wait-list for digital CBT-I after their final assessment. All activities participants try for improving their own sleep problems between assessments will be recorded and coded for.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-11-01
• Primary completion: 2025-06-30
• Completion: 2025-08-30
• First posted: 2024-04-10
• Last updated: 2024-12-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada