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Intervention for Sleep and Pain in Youth: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Enhancing the Efficacy of Migraine Self-Management in Children With Comorbid Insomnia

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04936321
Acronym
I-SPY-RCT
Enrollment
224
Registered
2021-06-23
Start date
2021-10-01
Completion date
2026-05-06
Last updated
2026-07-29

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

Conditions

Headache Disorders, Insomnia, Migraine Disorders

Keywords

pediatric, children, adolescent, sleep, pain, headache, cognitive-behavioral therapy

Brief summary

Insomnia is a common comorbidity among adolescents with migraine. This randomized controlled clinical trial aims to determine efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia, as well as the combined effect of CBT insomnia and pain interventions, on reducing insomnia symptoms and headache-related disability in adolescents with migraine. The long-term goal is to offer effective, tailored self-management interventions that can address migraine and co-morbid sleep problems in adolescence and disrupt a cycle of persistent, disabling migraine from continuing into adulthood.

Detailed description

This aims of this study are to: 1) test efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) insomnia intervention for youth with migraine and comorbid insomnia, and 2) investigate how changes in sleep may modify response to CBT pain intervention. Participants will include 250 youth and their parents. Youth will be ages 11-17 years, with migraine (with or without aura, chronic migraine) and comorbid insomnia. In Phase 1, participants will be randomly assigned to receive access to internet-delivered CBT insomnia intervention or internet-delivered sleep education control over 6 weeks. In Phase 2, all participants will receive access to internet-delivered CBT pain intervention over 6 weeks. Assessments will occur at baseline, immediately after Phase 1 intervention, immediately after Phase 2 intervention, and 6 month follow-up.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALInternet-delivered CBT for Insomnia

The program delivers the core components of CBT for insomnia including sleep hygiene, stimulus control, and sleep restriction. Treatment duration is 6 weeks.

BEHAVIORALInternet-delivered CBT for Pain Management

The program delivers the core components of CBT for pain management including: pain education, training in behavioral and cognitive pain coping skills, instruction in increasing activity participation, and training in parental operant and communication strategies. Treatment duration is 6 weeks.

BEHAVIORALInternet-delivered Sleep Education

The program delivers publicly available information about sleep.

Sponsors

Seattle Children's Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER
University of Virginia
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Because all study procedures delivered online, neither study participants nor investigators. care providers, or outcomes assessors will have knowledge of the treatment assignment and thus this trial can be carried out as a double-blinded RCT.

Intervention model description

The study design is a two arm, two-phase RCT. In Phase 1, the effects of internet-delivered CBT insomnia intervention will be compared to internet-delivered sleep education control. In Phase 2, all participants will receive internet-delivered CBT pain intervention.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
11 Years to 17 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* 11-17 years old * Headache present for at least three months and insomnia symptoms for the past month * Access to the Internet on any web-enabled device

Exclusion criteria

* Non-English speaking * Diagnosed sleep disorder (e.g. sleep apnea, narcolepsy) * Unable to read at 5th grade level or complete surveys independently * A serious comorbid chronic condition (e.g., diabetes, arthritis, cancer)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in insomnia symptomsBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-upThe 7-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) measures severity of insomnia symptoms. Total scores above 8 on the ISI indicate clinically significant insomnia in adult and adolescent samples.
Change in headache-related disabilityBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-upThe CALI-9 is a 9-item self-report instrument of headache-related disability in children and adolescents that measures difficulty in performing usual daily physical, social, and recreational activities. The measure will be completed daily for 14 days at baseline, after phase 1, after phase 2, and 6-month follow-up

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in sleep qualityBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-upThe Adolescent Sleep Wake Scale-Short Form (ASWS) is a 10-item measure. The total score indicates overall perception of sleep quality.
Change in sleep patternsBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-up14-days of actigraphic monitoring with the Actiwatch Spectrum Plus to assess minutes of estimated sleep, wake time after sleep onset, and sleep efficiency.
Change in headache frequencyBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-upThe number of headache days reported each day for 14 days.
Change in headache pain intensityBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-up11-point numerical rating scale with anchors of 0 = no pain to 10 = worst pain possible. Reported each day for 14 days.
Change in anxiety symptomsBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-upThe Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 is a 7-item measure. The total score indicates anxiety severity over the last two weeks.
Change in depressive symptomsBaseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-upThe Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is a 9 item measure. The total score indicates severity of depression over the last two weeks.
Change in health-related quality of life as assessed by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0Baseline, immediately after treatment phase 1, immediately after treatment phase 2, 6-month follow-upThe Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0. is a measure of health-related quality of life. The total score indicates perceived mental and physical health.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOREmily Law, PhD

Seattle Children's Hospital

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 30, 2026