Clinical trial NCT00977340: Study on the Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Chronic Nightmares
Official title: Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Chronic Nightmares: Differential Efficacy of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy Compared to Confrontation and Psychotherapeutic Placebo
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Nightmare Disorder
Keywords: Chronic nightmare sufferers
nightmares
Imagery Rehearsal Therapy IRT
sleep disturbance
treatment of nightmares
confrontation
People who suffer of chronic nightmares
Lead sponsor: Goethe University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2009-09-15
Enrollment: 122
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to determine whether a change in the content of nightmares is necessary at all in the treatment of chronic nightmares or if a single confrontation with their content is sufficient to reduce nightmare frequency significantly.

Detailed description: The inclusion and exclusion criteria are assessed during a telephone interview. If the participants meet the criteria, they are randomly assigned to two intervention groups or an active control group. In the first session the participants who suffer from chronic nightmares are interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I and -II) to determine the clinical diagnosis; in addition, they are given questionnaires and record sheets to obtain baseline data. They are asked to record their nightmares in a "dream diary" up until the next session four weeks later. At that session they learn one of three interventions to reduce nightmares. The first group receives imagery rehearsal treatment in which participants learn to consciously alter the contents of their nightmares and then to visualize the new set of images. The second group is subjected to confrontation treatment in which they are instructed to confront their nightmares until habituation. The third group, the psychotherapeutic placebo group, just learn an imagination technique, without reference to their nightmares. At the end of the intervention session all participants receive written instructions on how to perform the learned method at home. They must also record their dreams up until the next session. That session and the last one are used for data acquisition. At these sessions, the participants are asked to fill in the questionnaires given to them at the beginning of the treatment.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* nightmare frequency of at least one night per week for six month duration
* stable medication
* if currently in psychotherapy: no treatment of nightmares
* Informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Life time clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder according to DSM-IV
* Body mass index \< 17
* Initiation of nightmares after taking pharmaceuticals
* Clinical diagnosis of alcohol or drug addiction according to DSM-IV
* Mental retardation

Primary outcomes:
measure: frequency of nightmares
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
measure: nightmare effects
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
measure: nightmare distress
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Anxiety
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
measure: Depression
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
measure: sleep quality
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
measure: self efficacy
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
measure: General psychopathology
timeFrame: in the first diagnostical session, four weeks after interventional session in addition to follow-up-measurement
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Frankfurt/Main
country: Germany
facility: Johann Wolfgang Goethe University - Department of Clinical Psychology and Ppsychotherapy
state: Hessen
Study officials:
affiliation: Johann Wolfgang Goethe University - Department of Clinical Psychology and Ppsychotherapy
name: Regina Steil, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: