Brief, Family-Centered, Videoconference-Based Behavioral Insomnia Program in Elementary School-Aged Pediatric Cancer
Eric S Zhou1,2,3, Briana Bice1, Valerie McLaughlin Crabtree4
1Perini Family Survivors' Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Pediatric Blood & Cancer
|January 8, 2025
Summary
Pediatric cancer survivors often face insomnia. A videoconference intervention improved sleep and quality of life for caregivers of school-aged survivors, even when delivered by staff without specialized sleep training.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Sleep Medicine
- Behavioral Health
Background:
- Pediatric cancer survivors have an increased risk of insomnia.
- A shortage of trained clinicians limits access to recommended behavioral interventions.
- There is a lack of research on sleep interventions for school-aged survivors with unique age-related sleep challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test a videoconference-based behavioral insomnia intervention for caregivers of school-aged pediatric cancer survivors.
- To assess the feasibility of delivering the intervention using staff without prior specialized sleep training.
- To evaluate the intervention's impact on caregiver-reported sleep and quality of life.
Main Methods:
- A total of 15 caregivers of children (aged 5-12 years) with cancer and insomnia participated.
- An evidence-based behavioral insomnia intervention was delivered via videoconference.
- Intervention sessions were conducted by staff without prior sleep education or training.
- Self-report measures of sleep and quality of life were collected pre-intervention and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Caregivers reported significant improvements in sleep quality after the intervention.
- Caregivers reported significant improvements in quality of life post-intervention.
- The intervention was delivered successfully by non-specialized staff.
Conclusions:
- A brief, videoconference-delivered behavioral insomnia intervention shows preliminary effectiveness for caregivers of pediatric cancer survivors.
- This approach may be a feasible and resource-efficient method to address insomnia in this population.
- Further research is warranted to confirm these findings in larger trials.
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