Treating Sleep in Adolescents with ADHD and Co-occurring Sleep Problems
Grant: Endowed Scholar Award
PI: Stephen Becker, Ph.D.
Collaborators: Jeff Epstein, Ph.D., Kelly Byars, Psy.D., Allison Harvey, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley)
Adolescents with ADHD frequently experience comorbid sleep problems. However, sleep problems are not currently addressed in any evidence-based treatment for adolescents with ADHD, and no study has evaluated an intervention targeting sleep problems in adolescents with ADHD. This is a notable gap in the field since consensus statements on sleep suggest that treating sleep problems may improve ADHD and associated impairments. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral sleep interventions, including the Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention for Youth (TranS-C) intervention, are effective for improving sleep and associated impairments (e.g., attention, mood) in adolescents with sleep problems. However, these interventions have never been tested in adolescents with ADHD specifically. The primary goals of this study are to test whether a sleep intervention for adolescents (1) is feasible and acceptable to implement in adolescents with ADHD, (2) improves sleep functioning (primary outcome), and (3) reduces core ADHD symptoms and functional impairments (secondary outcomes). These goals will be accomplished by recruiting 15 adolescents (ages 13-17) with both ADHD and sleep problems who will participate in an open trial of the TranS-C intervention through the Cincinnati Children’s Center for ADHD. Acceptability ratings, session attendance, and post-intervention feedback will be collected. Sleep and impairment measures will be collected at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three months post-intervention.
This study has two specific aims:
Aim #1: Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the TranS-C intervention in an open trial of adolescents with ADHD and sleep problems.
Aim #2: Examine the preliminary efficacy of the TranS-C intervention for improving sleep and reducing core ADHD symptoms and associated impairments.
