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Posttraumatic Stress DisorderNCT00734799

Treating Co-Morbid Sleep Difficulties in Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Pilot Study

A study testing Sleep Intervention for PTSD (SIP). in people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Insomnia, run by Durham VA Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

A substantial number of US Veterans are suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following deployment in recent military conflicts, and sleep disturbance is a primary complaint of Veterans presenting to the VA with PTSD. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any age
Conditions the study is for
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Insomnia
What is being tested?
Sleep Intervention for PTSD (SIP).
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
22 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jan 2008to Dec 2009
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Inclusion Criteria: Participants will be recruited from the population of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans referred to the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) clinic for evaluation and treatment, and volunteers participating in the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) registry who agreed to be recontacted for future studies. All study participants will have: 1) provided informed consent; 2) utilize Durham VA Medical Center health care services as their primary source of health care; 3) will meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-R) criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD; 4) will screen positive for an Insomnia Disorder on the Duke Structured Sleep Interview for Sleep Disorders (DSISD); 5) and will score greater than 14 on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).

Exclusion Criteria: Patients who screen positive on the DSISD for symptoms of Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Restless Legs Syndrome or Circadian Disorders will be excluded from the study. Participants with active drug or alcohol abuse or dependence will be excluded as well.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Durham VA Medical Center

    Durham, North Carolina, 27705

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Treating Co-Morbid Sleep Difficulties in Veterans With PTSD: A Pilot Study

A substantial number of US Veterans are suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following deployment in recent military conflicts, and sleep disturbance is a primary complaint of Veterans presenting to the VA with PTSD. Veterans with PTSD have more self-reported and physician-rated health problems, and health status is associated with PTSD symptom severity. Most Veterans meeting criteria for PTSD report difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep (70-91%), and increased PTSD severity is associated with increased sleep disturbance. Even after receiving treatment for PTSD, Veterans continue to experience residual insomnia at a rate of about 50%, in spite of having achieved PTSD remission.

There are currently no PTSD-specific sleep interventions available, excepting an intervention that is specific to nightmares. Given the prevalence of sleep disturbance in Veterans with PTSD, the absence of interventions for PTSD-related sleep problems, and the increasing number of post-deployment Veterans with trauma-related sleep difficulties, such interventions are desperately needed. In this study, we will test the effectiveness of a multi-component cognitive-behavioral sleep intervention for PTSD that targets both nightmares and insomnia for improving the overall sleep experience of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Veterans with PTSD who are also receiving usual care. The primary objective is to pilot test the intervention for efficacy in reducing sleep disturbance. The secondary objective is to examine the relative impact of the intervention on PTSD symptoms. The project is a prospective, randomized, clinical intervention trial. Participants will be randomly assigned to a multi-component cognitive-behavioral sleep intervention for PTSD + Usual Care, or Usual Care alone. We are hypothesizing that 1) Veterans receiving the sleep intervention plus usual care will produce greater improvements (reduced total wake time, increased sleep efficiency, etc) in subjective sleep measures than will Usual Care alone; 2) Veterans receiving the sleep intervention plus usual care will produce greater improvements in nightmare frequency and severity than will Usual Care alone; and 3) the relationship between PTSD symptoms and treatment group will be significantly related to sleep quality in the period intervening baseline and follow-up.

Being tested
Sleep Intervention for PTSD (SIP).
Keywords
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Insomnia,, Imagery Rehearsal Therapy,, IRT,, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia,, CBTI.
Medical subject headings
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Sleep Intervention for PTSD (SIP).Behavioural

    Patients in the SIP condition will receive the same elements as the Usual Care patients. In addition, these patients will receive six, bi-weekly, 1-hour individual sessions with the PI, including 3 sessions of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and 3 sessions of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT). CBT-I consists of education designed to correct unrealistic sleep expectations, a prescription for an individually-tailored behavioral regimen, standard sleep hygiene recommendations, and the identification and restructuring of dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes regarding sleep. IRT is a brief intervention designed to facilitate the patient's "rescripting" of reoccurring nightmares to decrease their associated affective distress.

Study groups in NCT00734799
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
2No interventionUsual Care/Wait-List Control
1ExperimentalSleep Intervention for PTSD (SIP)
Receives: Behavioral: Sleep Intervention for PTSD (SIP).

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Insomnia Severity

    Insomnia severity was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The ISI is a 7-item questionnaire that provides a global measure of perceived insomnia severity. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, and the total score ranges from 0-28. The following guidelines are recommended for interpreting the total score: 0-7 (no clinical insomnia), 8-14 (subthreshold insomnia), 15-21 (insomnia of moderate severity), and 22-28 (severe insomnia). The ISI was used to determine treatment eligibility, to assess treatment outcome, and to determine clinical significance of study findings. Participants were assessed at baseline and following a 12-week intervention period.

    Measured: 12-weeks after Baseline

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Nightmare Frequency

    Nightmare frequency was assessed using an electronic sleep diary. Diary data was collected for a period of 1 week at both baseline and 12 weeks after baseline. The number and severity of nightmares over a 1-week period were obtained using a hand-held computer (PDA) containing an interactive program that automates the collection of subjective sleep data. The PDA device was programmed to elicit daily responses from participants and electronically record multiple days of subjective sleep information, in addition to the number and severity of nightmares for the previous night. Nightmare frequency (number of nightmares per night) was one of five variables collected from electronic sleep diaries.

    Measured: 12 weeks after Baseline

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted14 Aug 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2008
  3. Primary completionDec 2009
  4. Study completionDec 2009

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
22 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00734799
Sponsor's protocol ID
IMR01252
Status last verified
Aug 2015
First submitted
12 Aug 2008
Last updated
7 Sep 2015
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Ulmer CS, Edinger JD, Calhoun PS. A multi-component cognitive-behavioral intervention for sleep disturbance in veterans with PTSD: a pilot study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2011 Feb 15;7(1):57-68.

    PubMed 21344046

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Sleep Intervention for PTSD (SIP). in people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Insomnia, run by Durham VA Medical Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Sep 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 7 Sep 2015). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Insomnia Severity (time frame: 12-weeks after Baseline). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00734799, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 Sep 2015.

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