Symposia
Sleep / Wake Disorders
Lauren Asarnow, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of California San Francisco
Piedmont, California
Background: Adolescence is a critical period of psychological and biological change, when sleep problems are ubiquitous, affecting 50%-60% of adolescents, and when rates of mental illness increase dramatically. Sleep problems are transdiagnostic and exacerbate mental health and daily functioning due to depression, anxiety, suicidal and self-harm, and poor school performance. Behavioral sleep treatments are known to improve sleep and mental health outcomes among adolescents, and are often preferred over medications by youth, their parents, and providers. However, there are few providers with expertise in behavioral sleep treatments, which limits access to care. The study aims to improve access to an effective sleep health intervention in adolescents through the use of a digital sleep intervention with the goals of improving both their sleep and mental health.
Methods: We conducted an open trial of an adaptation of Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention (TranS-C) for online and mobile device delivery (referred to as mTranS-C) from September 2019 to September 2021. A diverse sample of 53 adolescents (mean age =15.2; 62% female; 39% Hispanic/Latino) with a sleep health deficit defined as either evening circadian preference (27 ≥ Children’s Morningness Eveningness Preference Scale) or insomnia (10 ≤ Insomnia Severity Index). Quantitative and qualitative data were collected at pre and post-treatment, and 3 month follow-up.
Results: Results indicate that mTranS-C was safe, feasible and acceptable among a diverse sample of adolescents. Moreover, mixed effects models assessing the trajectory of sleep quality (assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) was significantly improved from pre-treatment through 3-month follow-up (p< .001). Mixed effects models assessing the trajectory of depression severity (assessed using the PHQ-9) was also significantly improved from pre-treatment through 3-month follow-up (p< .001).
Discussion: The study is the first to test a digital adaptation of TranS-C (mTranS-C) for the treatment of both evening circadian preference and insomnia in youth. Results indicate that mTranS-C is a low stigma, safe, acceptable intervention, with promising efficacy signals that can be easily disseminated among youth.