Insomnia Treatment and Problems (the iTAP Study)
Condition: Insomnia; Alcohol; Harmful Use
MeSH terms: Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This project aims to evaluate the efficacy of insomnia treatment in improving insomnia
      symptoms and alcohol-related problems among heavy-drinking young adults.
    

Detailed description: 
      Heavy alcohol use is prevalent among young adults and results in significant physical and
      psychological burden. Despite wide implementation of alcohol risk reduction efforts on
      college campuses, rates of heavy alcohol consumption remain high, with 35% of students
      reporting consumption of 5+ drinks on the same occasion in the past 2 weeks. Thus, additional
      strategies are needed to reduce the burden of heavy alcohol use among college students. More
      than half of heavy-drinking college students report symptoms of insomnia. In turn, insomnia
      symptoms have been associated with increased risk of alcohol-related problems. The proposed
      project aims to reduce the burden of heavy alcohol use on college campuses by examining the
      efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) in reducing alcohol use and
      related problems among heavy-drinking college students. Twenty seven young adults who
      indicate risk for problem drinking and meet DSM-5 criteria for Insomnia Disorder will
      participate in a 5-week pilot trial. Participants will complete five individual sessions of
      CBT-I. Outcomes will be assessed at the end of the active intervention period (6 weeks) and 1
      month post-intervention. Outcomes of interest include insomnia severity, total wake time,
      sleep quality, drinking quantity, and alcohol-related consequences. The proposed research
      aims to reduce the harms associated with heavy alcohol use among young adults by improving
      the availability of efficacious treatment. It will impact understanding of the benefits of
      CBT-I, and it is innovative because it evaluates improvement in insomnia as a mechanism for
      improvements in alcohol use disorder (AUD). This research is consistent with the National
      Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's initiative to evaluate and promote interventions
      that prevent the progression of AUD in diverse populations. It will enhance the stature of
      the university by improving our ability to compete successfully for federal funding to
      conduct high-quality research.
    

Intervention name(s): Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I); Sleep Hygiene
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participants assigned to the CBT-I condition will attend 1-hour individual sessions of CBT-I once a week for five weeks. Consistent with clinical guidelines (Schutte-Rodin, Broch, Buysse, Dorsey, & Sateia, 2008), treatment will include stimulus control (e.g., limit use of bed to sleep or sexual activity, get out of bed if lying awake for more than 20 minutes), sleep restriction (limit time in bed to amount of time spent sleeping on a typical night), sleep hygiene (e.g., avoid exercise within 2 hours of bedtime, create cool and dark sleep environment), relaxation training, and cognitive restructuring.; All participants will receive a one-page handout on sleep hygiene. This is the only intervention that participants assigned to the Sleep Hygiene condition will receive and is consistent with what may be expected as standard care in a doctor's visit with a primary care physician.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Participants will be assigned to receive either Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) or Sleep Hygiene.
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: alcohol; drinking; sleep; insomnia; young adult