CBT-I for Psychosis: Guidelines, Preliminary Efficacy, and Functional Outcomes

VA Office of Research and Development

Status: Completed

Conditions: Psychosis; Insomnia

Treatments: Behavioral: Health and Wellness; Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Insomnia

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT02535923

1IK2RX001836-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

D1836-W

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this project is to develop guidelines for the clinical tailoring of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for Veterans with psychotic disorders and insomnia, and to test the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of CBT-I for improving sleep-related functional outcomes in this population.

Full description

The goal of this project is to develop guidelines for the clinical tailoring of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for Veterans with psychotic disorders and insomnia, and to test the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of CBT-I for improving sleep-related functional outcomes in this population.

Specific Aim 1: Develop empirically-derived guidelines for the clinical tailoring of CBT-I materials and procedures for Veterans with psychotic disorders through an iterative process with input from Veteran clients, CBT-I experts and providers, as well as those with expertise in psychotic disorders.

Specific Aim 2: Establish the acceptability of CBT-I for Veterans with psychotic disorders and insomnia when delivered using guidelines developed in Specific Aim 1 in order to make further refinements to the guidelines in a preliminary trial with 6 Veterans with psychosis and insomnia.

Specific Aim 3: Conduct a randomized controlled trial (n=60) to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of CBT-I in producing positive changes at post-treatment and 3-month follow-up on the outcomes of insomnia symptoms, sleep quality, and functioning.

Enrollment: 47 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorders, 5th edition (DSM 5) diagnosis of schizophrenic disorders (295.0-295.9), affective psychoses (296.0-296.1, 296.4-296.8), or major depression with psychotic features (296.24, 296.34).
2. Self-reported symptoms of insomnia via an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score of 15 or greater.
3. Age between 18 and 80 as determined by medical record review.
4. Participation in outpatient mental health services at a designated study site.
5. Sufficient clinical stability to participate as deemed by a treatment provider.
6. Capacity to sign Informed Consent.

Exclusion criteria

1. Current problematic drug or alcohol use that impacts functioning and study engagement, as deemed by a treatment provider.
2. Currently in CBT-I treatment, determined by medical records.
3. Positive screen for sleep apnea via a portable sleep apnea screening device or a prior diagnosis of sleep apnea in medical records.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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47 participants in 2 patient groups

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Insomnia

Experimental group

Description:

CBT-I addresses cognitive, arousal and behavioral factors related to sleep difficulties. Sessions combine assessment, conceptualization, psychoeducation, behavioral strategies and cognitive therapy, using a consistent structure including review of participants' sleep log and adherence to behavioral guidelines, modification of time in bed, cognitive therapy, and relaxation techniques. CBT-I also incorporates psychoeducation about biological and psychological elements that regulate sleep. Other strategies include stimulus control (i.e., getting out of bed when not sleepy) to extinguish the conditioned arousal common in insomnia, and relaxation techniques to reduce arousal associated with the bed, bedroom, or bedtime.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Insomnia

Health and Wellness

Active Comparator group

Description:

Health and Wellness is a general self-management curriculum focused on providing education and support for managing physical and emotional well-being. Each session follows a basic structure including review of previous session material, new educational information and discussion on several topics over the course of single or multiple sessions. Each session will focus on the impact of the topic on overall health and wellness, identifying benefits and challenges to improving or maintaining health in that area, and strategies that clients may find helpful to address challenges in that area. Example topics include physical activity/exercise, nutrition/healthy eating, managing medications and side effects, and addictive behaviors (e.g., substance use, gambling, eating).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Health and Wellness