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
PubMed

Insights

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.