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. 2025 Apr 19:45:101486.
doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2025.101486. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Protocol of Brief Behavioral Treatment for insomnia intervention for adult patients with cancer and their sleep-partner caregivers

Youngmee Kim  1 , Thomas C Tsai  1 , Wendy M Troxel  2
Affiliations

Protocol of Brief Behavioral Treatment for insomnia intervention for adult patients with cancer and their sleep-partner caregivers

Youngmee Kim et al. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. .

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbance is common and problematic among both patients with cancer and their sleep-partner caregivers. Although one's sleep affects the partner's sleep, existing psychobehavioral interventions have targeted patients' and caregivers' sleep problems independently.

Methods: We adapt the Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI) for both adult patients and their sleep-partner caregivers in the context of cancer. This protocol is to test the feasibility and acceptability as well as to provide preliminary efficacy of the BBTI for Couples with Cancer (BBTI-CC) intervention, which is to reduce sleep disturbance and improving sleep quality of both adults with cancer and their sleep-partner caregivers. The intervention will be delivered weekly for 4 weeks. Questionnaire and daily sleep logs will be collected at baseline (T1) and one-week after conclusion of the intervention (T2). Satisfaction with the intervention will be assessed weekly for 4 weeks.

Results: We estimate 18 dyads will be enrolled (18 patients and 18 caregivers). We expect >75 % of eligible and screened dyads will enroll within the enrollment period, >80 % of enrolled dyads will complete the intervention, and >80 % of participants will report satisfaction across all acceptability measures. We also expect BBTI-CC will reveal a small-to-medium effect on sleep efficiency (primary outcome), overall sleep disturbance, subjective sleep quality, and insomnia severity (secondary outcomes).

Conclusions: Results will inform the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a dyadic sleep behavioral intervention, and provide preliminary efficacy data to guide further refinement of intervention content and procedure for adult patients with cancer and their sleep-partner caregivers.

Keywords: Adult cancer; Behavioral sleep intervention; Couples; Patient-caregiver dyad; sleep intervention protocol.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schedule of enrolment, interventions, and assessments.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
BBTI-CC intervention content and timeline.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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