# Brief Interventions for Teen Sleep (BITS)

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $199,155

## Abstract

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth, and the latest statistics indicate disproportionate risk for
suicidal behavior among Black youth.2. Unfortunately, few interventions effectively prevent youth suicidal
thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Experts emphasize that ideal foci for effective STB prevention interventions are
proximal, robust and modifiable, with broad acceptability and accessibility for population-level impact. Sleep
difficulties may be a particularly promising target for youth STB prevention efforts. Studies consistently
demonstrate a direct and temporal link between sleep disturbances in adolescents and STBs and are included
among the expert consensus set of warning signs for suicide. Furthermore, gross disparities in sleep between
Black youth and their White peers (e.g., shorter sleep duration, poorer sleep quality, more variable sleep timing),
as well as unique and specific barriers to healthy sleep for Black youth (e.g., racial discrimination) are directly
linked to elevated risk for depression and STBs. Yet, no intervention targeting sleep difficulties has been
examined among youth at-risk for STBs nor tailored to Black youth. We posit a modularized intervention that
targets a range of sleep and circadian difficulties using evidence-based principles, such as the Transdiagnostic
Sleep and Circadian Intervention (TSC), holds promise to decrease risk for STBs in depressed adolescents. To
optimize TSC acceptability, engagement, and scalability for youth at-risk for STBs, including Black youth, among
whom mental health services are more stigmatized, we will employ the health equity-informed framework, and
draw upon the expertise in implementation science and qualitative methods among our team and the larger
Center. We will apply the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) in conducting focus
groups with youth, caregivers and providers to inform TSC implementation with depressed adolescents, including
Black youth, and then evaluate these strategies through rapid iterative pilots. We will then conduct a randomized
trial of 75 at-risk youth age 12-18 (35% Black) with moderate depression and clinically significant sleep difficulties
identified in pediatric primary care via the Signature R01. Youth will be randomized using 2:1 allocation (to
maximize data on implementation) to TSC+Sleep Feedback (i.e., user-friendly graphical representations of
naturalistic objective and subjective sleep data) or Sleep Feedback Only. All participants will complete objective
ambulatory sleep assessment (via wrist-worn actigraph) and subjective daily sleep diary data (via smartphone),
and receive weekly reports summarizing their sleep (Sleep Feedback). TSC clinicians will personalize TSC
strategies through use of the adolescent’s Sleep Feedback data. We will examine TSC feasibility, acceptability
and impact on sleep; secondary outcomes include depression and STB risk, assessed at 1,3, and 6 months.
Resultant data supporting pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10875389
- **Project number:** 5P50MH115838-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** TINA R GOLDSTEIN
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $199,155
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-17 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10875389

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10875389, Brief Interventions for Teen Sleep (BITS) (5P50MH115838-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10875389. Licensed CC0.

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