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Therapist-Directed VS Online Therapy for Insomnia Co-Occuring With Sleep Apnea

Therapist-Directed VS Online Therapy for Insomnia Co-Occuring With Sleep Apnea

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03109210
Enrollment
384
Registered
2017-04-12
Start date
2017-04-15
Completion date
2026-06-30
Last updated
2025-02-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Insomnia, Primary, Sleep Apnea, Obstructive

Brief summary

This two-site randomized clinical trial will investigate and compare three treatments for insomnia in patients who have been diagnosed with and treated for sleep apnea: online cognitive behavioral therapy (OCBT), therapist-directed cognitive behavioral therapy (TCBT), and standard clinical care. 384 patients will be recruited and will attend up to 15 visits over 10 months. Visits will include baseline assessment, treatment visits, and post-treatment follow-up visits. Visits will involve completion of questionnaires, meeting with therapists, and a physical exam.

Detailed description

This dual-site randomized clinical trial will use a SMART design to test a stepped care model relative to standard positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy and determine if (1) augmentation of PAP therapy with online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy improves short-term outcomes of comorbid obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)/insomnia; and (2) providing a higher intensity 2nd-stage cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to patients who show sub-optimal short-term outcomes with OCBT+PAP improves short and longer-term outcomes. After completing baseline assessment, the 384 comorbid OSA\\insomnia patients enrolled will be randomized to a 1st-stage therapy that includes usual care PAP + OCBT (n=288) or UC (usual care PAP + sleep hygiene education; n=96). Insomnia and OSA will be reassessed after 8 weeks. OCBT recipients who meet remission criteria will continue PAP but be offered no additional insomnia intervention and will complete study outcome measures again after an additional 8-weeks and at 3 and 6 month follow-ups. OCBT recipients classified as unremitted after 8 weeks of treatment will be re-randomized to a 2nd-stage treatment consisting of continued, expanded engagement in OCBT or a switch to therapist-directed CBT (TCBT). Those receiving the 2nd-stage intervention as well as the UC group will be reassessed after another 8 weeks and at 3- and 6-month follow-up time points.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALOnline Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (OCBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy delivered via commercial online software.

BEHAVIORALTherapist-directed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TCBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy delivered via traditional, in-person interaction with a licensed mental health professional.

Sponsors

Stanford University
CollaboratorOTHER
National Jewish Health
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

To be included participants must \> 21 years old and: 1. have a diagnosis of OSA with an AHI \> 5 on a diagnostic polysomnogram; 2. accept PAP as primary/sole OSA therapy, been given a prescription for PAP and filled it within the last 3 months, have had an opportunity to use PAP for at least one month, and show mean use of \> 1 hour per night; 3. have a complaint of persistent (i.e., \> 3 months) sleep onset or sleep maintenance difficulties despite having adequate opportunity for sleep and accompanied by significant daytime impairment or distress about poor sleep; 4. an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score \> 10 indicating at least mild insomnia; and 5. a sleep onset latency or wake time after sleep onset \> 30 minutes 3 or more nights per week during two weeks of sleep diary monitoring.

Exclusion criteria

1. an untreated psychiatric disorder (e.g., major depression) found on structured interviews as these conditions have specific treatments and it would be inappropriate not to offer those treatments; 2. a lifetime diagnosis of any psychotic or bipolar disorder as sleep restriction for insomnia may precipitate hallucinations and mania; 3. an imminent risk for suicide; 4. alcohol or drug abuse within the past year; 5. terminal illness (e.g., cancer), or neurological degenerative disease (e.g., dementia); 6. current use of medications known to cause insomnia (e.g., stimulants); 7. comorbid narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, restless legs syndrome (score of \>11 in the IRLS), periodic limb movement during sleep (known PLMS with arousal \> 15 per hour), or a circadian rhythm sleep disorder if habitual bedtimes are later than 3:00 AM or rising times are later than 11:00 AM; or 8. consuming \> 2 alcoholic beverages per day on a regular basis; or 9. consuming more than 10 caffeinated beverages per day on a regular basis; or 10. consuming marijuana in any form on a regular basis \>1 time per week, or if used after 4:00 p.m; or 11. change in thyroid medication dosage or received a new prescription for thyroid medication 3 months before the screening visit; or 12. physician-diagnosed or self-reported seizure disorder.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score changeSymptom remission will be measured at post-treatment visits one and two, approximately 18 and 28 weeks following enrollment.Change in participants' score on the ISI will be measured over baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up visits.
Quebec Sleep Questionnaire (QSQ) score changeParticipants will be asked to complete the QSQ at baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up visits, at approximately weeks 1, 18, and 28.Change in participants' score on the QSQ will be measured over baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up visits.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in subjective measurement of total sleep timeParticipants will be asked to complete two weeks of sleep diaries at baseline (week 1), post-treatment (weeks 8 and 18), and follow-up visits (months 9 and 12) to measure change in these assessments over time.Participants will be asked to fill out a sleep diary throughout the study. Study personnel will use these diaries to calculate subjective assessment of total sleep time.
Change in subjective measurement of sleep efficiencyParticipants will be asked to complete two weeks of sleep diaries at baseline (week 1), post-treatment (weeks 8 and 18), and follow-up visits (months 9 and 12) to measure change in these assessments over time.Participants will be asked to fill out a sleep diary throughout the study. Study personnel will use these diaries to calculate subjective assessment of sleep efficiency.
Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Therapy AdherenceAdherence data will be collected through study completion, an average of one year.Participants' adherence to PAP therapy will be passively monitored during their participation in the study.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 13, 2026