2 - (OP19) Effects of the Sleep Ninja®, a Digital CBT-I Intervention on Adolescent Insomnia and Depression: Findings from Two Randomised Controlled Trials

Symptoms of insomnia are experienced by approximately 30% of adolescents globally, and represent a powerful risk factor for depression onset and maintenance. Addressing depression via a non-stigmatising target like sleep disturbance may provide an effective strategy to not only improve sleep, but also to prevent and treat adolescent depression.

Sleep Ninja® is a self-directed CBT-I intervention for adolescent insomnia, developed in collaboration with young people and their parents. The intervention includes six training sessions each covering a core component of CBT-I, each lasting 5–10 minutes, delivered via a smartphone app.

In this presentation, we describe the results from two randomized controlled trials examining the effects of the Sleep Ninja intervention on sleep and depression outcomes, conducted in Australia. The first trial involved 264 adolescents (mean age=14.7 years), and the second trial involved a younger age group (N=214, aged 10-12 years) and incorporated a parent support component to complement use of the Sleep Ninja digital program. Participants were recruited through the community and were required to report at least moderate symptoms of insomnia for study inclusion. Co-primary outcomes were depression and insomnia symptoms. Findings from the first RCT indicated that use of Sleep Ninja® for 6-weeks was associated with significant decreases in symptoms of insomnia and depression relative to the active control group, with change in insomnia mediating change in depression. Results of the second RCT of Sleep Ninja® will be presented.

Despite the established link between sleep disturbance and depression in adolescents, few trials have examined the effects of a CBT-I intervention specifically for the prevention and treatment of depression in this age group. Findings from these studies suggest that there is great potential for widespread implementation of digital CBT-I as an innovative, accessible and appealing way to improve adolescent sleep and reduce depression at scale.

This presentation will provide empirical evidence about the effects of Sleep Ninja® on insomnia and depression in adolescents and discuss practical considerations for the use of digital interventions in practice. Findings suggest that clinicians treating young people for symptoms of insomnia and/or depression should consider incorporating digital (or in-person) CBT-I into treatment given the demonstrated benefit across both symptom profiles.