Heart Failure Insomnia Treatment Study

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Insomnia; Heart Failure; Congestive Heart Failure; Disorders of Initiating and Maintaining Sleep; Anxiety; Depression; Cardiac Failure; Sleep Disorder
• Interventions: Behavioral: Brief treatment for Insomnia; Behavioral: Sleep Monitoring

• Registration Number: NCT03636880
• Lead Sponsor: Ohio State University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare a short, behavioral treatment for insomnia with sleep monitoring to determine whether these approaches are effective in reducing insomnia and improving sleep quality among patients with heart failure (HF). This study will also examine the relationship between insomnia and cognitive functioning in HF and the effects of the behavioral treatment on cognitive functioning, self-care, distress, HF symptoms, and functional status.

Participants will be randomly assigned to four-sessions of a behavioral treatment (Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia; BBTI) or sleep monitoring.

Detailed Description

Comorbid insomnia is prevalent among heart failure (HF) patients and associated with poorer mental and physical functioning, including possible exacerbation of cognitive deficits. Initial investigations document the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of insomnia in HF. However, the high symptom burden of HF necessitates alternative interventions for these patients with fewer time and physical endurance demands.

Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI) is a four-session behavioral intervention that emphasizes stimulus control and sleep restriction techniques, along with providing education to patients about healthy sleep practices and behaviors that adversely affect sleep. The efficacy of BBTI has been previously documented in samples of older adults with insomnia, but the intervention has yet to be applied to a disease-specific patient population.

This study was designed to 1) evaluate the treatment effects of BBTI on insomnia among HF patients, 2) examine the relationship between insomnia, cognitive function, and decision-making in HF patients at baseline, and 3) evaluate the effects of BBTI on relevant correlates of insomnia in HF patients, including cognitive functioning, decision-making, distress, self-care, quality of life, and functional status.

Participants will be randomized to either the four-session behavioral intervention (BBTI) or a sleep monitoring condition. Measures of sleep (insomnia, sleep efficiency, sleep quality), cognitive functioning (memory, attention, executive functioning, and decision making), distress (anxiety and depression), HF-related quality of life, HF self-care, and functional status will be obtained from participants at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 months post-intervention. Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) will serve as the primary mode of data analysis.

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2017-02-24
• Study First Submitted: 2018-08-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-08-15
• Study First Posted: 2018-08-17
• Primary Completion: 2023-08-29
• Study Completion: 2023-08-29
• Status Verified: 2024-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-04-24
• Last Update Posted: 2024-04-25

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 76

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years of age or older
• Fluent in English
• Diagnosis of heart failure
• At least mild chronic insomnia

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Exclusion Criteria

• Restless legs syndrome
• Narcolepsy
• Perform night or rotating shift work
• Seizure disorder
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Current or past diagnosis of Bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
• Significant cognitive impairments
• Untreated moderate to severe sleep apnea or high risk for sleep apnea

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Brief treatment for insomnia	Brief treatment for Insomnia	Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI) is a manualized, individual intervention designed to modify sleep patterns to reduce insomnia and improve sleep quality and efficiency. Participants complete two in-person meetings and two booster telephone calls over a four-week period.
Sleep Monitoring	Sleep Monitoring	Sleep Monitoring is an active comparator condition where participants track their sleep patterns for two weeks prior to the baseline and post-intervention assessments. They receive no contact from study staff during the intervening four-week period, except for a reminder call to begin completing the second sleep diary and to schedule the post-intervention assessment.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sleep quality assessed by the PSQI	Change from pre-intervention to 2 weeks post-intervention	Sleep quality will be measured with the 19-item self-report Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Seven component scores (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction) are derived from the instrument which can then be summed to produce a total 'global' PSQI score ranging from 0 to 21. Total PSQI scores greater than 5 indicate poor sleep quality.
Sleep efficiency	Change from pre-intervention to 2 weeks post-intervention	Sleep efficiency (SE) will be measured with two-week sleep diaries where participants log their daily bed and wake times, as well as the number of hours of sleep each night. SE will be calculated as the percentage of sleep time divided by time spent in bed, with higher percentages indicative of more efficient sleep.
Insomnia severity	Change from pre-intervention to 2 weeks post-intervention	Insomnia symptoms will be measured with the 7-item self-report Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). This measure assesses the severity of sleep-onset and sleep maintenance difficulties, sleep satisfaction, as well as associated daytime dysfunction and distress over the prior two weeks. Items are answered on a 5-point Likert-scale from 0 'not at all' to 4 'extremely'. Total scores range from 0 to 28, with higher scores reflective of greater insomnia severity. Scores of 8 or greater indicate the presence of at least mild clinical insomnia.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Insomnia severity	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Insomnia symptoms will be measured with the 7-item self-report Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). This measure assesses the severity of sleep-onset and sleep maintenance difficulties, sleep satisfaction, as well as associated daytime dysfunction and distress over the prior two weeks. Items are answered on a 5-point Likert-scale from 0 'not at all' to 4 'extremely'. Total scores range from 0 to 28, with higher scores reflective of greater insomnia severity. Scores of 8 or greater indicate the presence of at least mild clinical insomnia.
Decision making assessed by the IGT	Pre-intervention	Decision making will be measured with three self-administered computerized tasks. The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) produces a score representative of risky decision making by assessing participants' tendency to choose more disadvantageous over advantageous selections. For this measure, lower scores represent greater risky decision making.
Decision making assessed by the MCQ	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Decision making will be measured with three self-administered computerized tasks. The Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) is a measure of delay-discounting designed to assess preferences for smaller, more immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards. An average score is produced based on participant responses to 27 trials, with higher values indicative of steeper discounting of delayed rewards and greater impulsivity.
Decision making assessed by the GDT	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Decision making will be measured with three self-administered computerized tasks. The Game of Dice Task (GDT) produces a score representative of risky decision making by assessing participants' tendency to choose more disadvantageous over advantageous selections. For this measure, lower scores represent greater risky decision making.
Depression	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Depressive symptoms will be measured with the 14-item self-report Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). This instrument assesses symptoms of anxiety and depression specifically among patients with physical illnesses. Seven items assess symptoms of anxiety, while the remaining 7 items assess symptoms of depression. Each item is scored on a 4-point Likert-scale ranging from 0 to 3. Subscale scores, ranging from 0 to 21, can be calculated for anxiety and for depression, with higher scores indicative of greater symptoms.
HF self-care	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	HF self-care will be measured with the 15-item self-report Self Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI). This instrument assesses patient's adherence to specific HF dietary and symptom monitoring guidelines, their confidence in adhering to these guidelines, and the steps they take when they notice changes in their symptom status. Three subscales (Management, Maintenance, and Confidence) are scored out of 100, with higher scores representing better self-care.
Sleep efficiency	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Sleep efficiency (SE) will be measured with two-week sleep diaries where participants log their daily bed and wake times, as well as the number of hours of sleep each night. SE will be calculated as the percentage of sleep time divided by time spent in bed, with higher percentages indicative of more efficient sleep.
Memory	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Memory will be measured with the Verbal Paired Associates I and II (VPAI and VPAII) tasks, subtests included in the Wechsler Memory Scale - Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) neuropsychological battery. VPAI assesses immediate recall of verbally-presented associated word pairs and VPAII measures delayed, long-term memory. Performance is evaluated by comparing the number of correctly recalled word pairs with age-based norms, with higher scores indicative of better verbal memory.
Anxiety	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Anxiety symptoms will be measured with the 14-item self-report Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). This instrument assesses symptoms of anxiety and depression specifically among patients with physical illnesses. Seven items assess symptoms of anxiety, while the remaining 7 items assess symptoms of depression. Each item is scored on a 4-point Likert-scale ranging from 0 to 3. Subscale scores, ranging from 0 to 21, can be calculated for anxiety and for depression, with higher scores indicative of greater symptoms.
Executive function	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Executive function will be measured with the Trail Making Test (TMT), a paper-and-pencil neuropsychological instrument comprised of two parts, A and B. Time taken to complete each part is calculated in seconds, with longer times indicative of poorer performance. To minimize practice effects, comparable alternative forms will be used for post-intervention assessments.
Attention and psychomotor performance	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Attention and psychomotor performance will be measured with the Coding task, a subtest included in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV). Participants use a key to match as many numbers to corresponding nonsense symbols as possible within a two-minute time limit. Performance is evaluated by comparing the total number of correct matches to age-based norms, with higher scores indicative of better attention and psychomotor functioning.
Sleep quality assessed by the PSQI	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Sleep quality will be measured with the 19-item self-report Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Seven component scores (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction) are derived from the instrument which can then be summed to produce a total 'global' PSQI score ranging from 0 to 21. Total PSQI scores greater than 5 indicate poor sleep quality.
HF-related quality of life	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	HF-related quality of life will be measured with the 23-item self-report Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), a HF-specific measure designed to quantify physical limitations, symptoms, and HF-related quality of life. The measure includes 9 subscales that can be combined into an overall summary score ranging from 0-100, with higher scores indicative of better functioning and fewer symptoms.
Functional Status	Change from pre-intervention to 6 months post-intervention	Functional status will be measured with the Sixty-Foot Walk Test (60ftWT), an ambulatory measure that requires patients to walk four laps of 15 feet. Time needed to walk each of the four laps, as well as the total duration, is recorded in seconds, with higher completion times indicative of poorer functional status.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; 🇺🇸 Columbus, Ohio, United States