A feasibility and acceptability study of cognitive behavioural treatment for insomnia in adolescents with traumatic brain injury: A–B with follow up design, randomized baseline, and replication across participants

ABSTRACT

Difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep (symptoms of insomnia) are common following paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Yet, interventions to treat insomnia in this population have not yet been reported. This single-case series examined the feasibility and acceptability of cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBT-I) for adolescents (n = 5, aged 11–13 years) with TBI, and explored changes in sleep and fatigue post-treatment. Adolescents were randomly assigned to two conditions: a 7- or 14-days baseline, followed by 4 weeks of manualised CBT-I delivered individually. To assess feasibility and acceptability we compared recruitment and retention rates, and questionnaire scores to a-priori set criteria. We explored treatment efficacy and functional gains in sleep and fatigue from baseline to follow-up using structured visual analysis of time-series graphs, and reliable change indices or changes in clinical classification. Feasibility and acceptability indicators met a-priori criteria, but therapists noticed limited adolescent engagement in sessions. Clinically significant improvements were found in sleep, in 3 out of 4 cases, and fatigue, in all cases. Our study provides preliminary evidence that CBT-I is feasible for insomnia treatment in adolescents with TBI and provides directions for development of future treatment studies.

KEYWORDS:

• Sleep
• therapy
• insomnia
• brain injury
• adolescents

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Please contact the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

The project was in part funded by the Seed Grant awarded by the School of Psychology, University of Sydney and by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorder, Australian Research Council.