A transdiagnostic sleep and circadian intervention for adolescents: six‐month follow‐up of a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: This study examined the 6-month follow-up outcomes of the Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention (TranS-C), compared to Psychoeducation about sleep and health (PE). Methods: Adolescents (mean [SD] = 14.77 [1.84] years) with eveningness chronotype and "at-risk" in at least one of five health domains were randomized to receive TranS-C (n = 89) or PE (n = 87) at a university-based clinic. Primary outcomes were average weeknight total sleep time and bedtime calculated from sleep diary, a questionnaire measure of circadian preference, and composite risks in five health domains. Secondary outcomes were selected sleep diary indices, sleepiness, and self-and parent-reported sleep, parent-reported risks in five health domains. Results: Relative to PE, TranS-C showed treatment effects through 6-month follow-up on only one primary outcome; namely eveningness circadian preference. TranS-C also showed treatment effects on two sleep and circadian secondary outcomes, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and sleep-diary measured weeknight-weekend discrepancy in wakeup time. TranS-C did not show treatment effects on self-report or parent-report composite risks in five health domains. PE showed benefit, relative to TranS-C, from posttreatment to 6-month follow-up for reducing parent-reported behavioral health risk (secondary outcome). Conclusions: In at-risk adolescents, the evidence supports the TranS-C treatment effects over six months on improving sleep and circadian functioning on selected outcomes but not on reducing risk in five health domains.

Sleep problems among adolescents within child and adolescent mental health services. An epidemiological study with registry linkage

“…Tailored transdiagnostic sleep interventions for adolescents that aim at improving Fig. 1 Sleep duration, sleep-onset latency, wake-after-sleep onset and sleep efficiency for adolescents with a diagnosed disorder of depression, anxiety, ADHD, psychotic disorders, autism, conduct, eating disorder and trauma in comparison to a reference group sleep and circadian rhythm are good examples of treatments that might be included in the CAMHS [29]. In addition to the expected improvement in sleep problems, they may also give additional benefit for the symptoms of the psychiatric disorders [30,31].…”

Do sleep disturbances contribute to cognitive impairments in schizophrenia spectrum and bipolar disorders?

“…In this sense sleep health is relevant to all individuals, irrespective of the presence of a clinical sleep disorder or not. However, although showing promising results (Dong, Dolsen, Martinez, Notsu, & Harvey, 2019;Harvey et al, 2016; large-scale evaluation of the approach is needed. Nonetheless, more research into the effects of implementing TranS-C (thus promoting good sleep health) in severe mental disorders is exciting, given the knowledge that poor sleep quality is linked to several areas of compromised health common in severe mental disorders, including cardiac health (Javaheri & Redline, 2017;Ringen, 2020).…”

Editorial: Some roads less travelled—different routes to understanding the causes of child psychopathology

“…Andrew et al (2020) show how social workers’ home visits in urban slums in India can enhance the quality of the home environment and improve children’s outcomes. Dong et al (2020) show that a Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention can improve some measures of sleep and circadian functioning in adolescents compared with an active control condition involving education about sleep and health. Finally, Asarnow et al (2020) compared a family‐focused treatment targeting childhood depression with individual psychotherapy; the family‐focused treatment resulted in a more rapid easing of depressive symptoms, although there were no long‐term differences in outcome between the two groups.…”