JuSt – a multimodal program for treatment of insomnia in adolescents: a pilot study

Angelika A Schlarb, Christina C Liddle, Martin Hautzinger
Faculty of Science, Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany

Abstract: Insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disorder in adolescents. A number of studies have evaluated the efficacy of the management of chronic insomnia in adults. Behavioral therapy for insomnia is the treatment of first choice, encompassing education about sleep and sleep hygiene, stimulus control, relaxation techniques, and cognitive strategies to combat nocturnal ruminations. Special programs for adolescents are lacking. In this study an age-oriented treatment program for adolescents (JuSt) was developed and evaluated. Eighteen adolescents and their parents participated in a psychological short-term treatment comprising six sessions. First results show that the treatment was well accepted by the adolescents and their parents and led to a significant reduction in sleep problems, such as sleep onset, sleep efficacy, sleep duration, and feeling rested as well as in cognitive parameters, such as ruminations and mental health. Randomized controlled studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of this new approach to treat insomnia in adolescents.

Keywords: youth, sleep disorder, behavioral treatment, intervention, adolescents, group therapy, hypnotherapy