Sleep Innovations for Preschoolers With Arthritis (SIPA): Developing and Pilot Testing of a Self-Management Intervention

Sleep Innovations for Preschoolers With Arthritis (SIPA): Developing and Testing the Usability and Feasibility of a Self-Management Intervention

Behavioral sleep problems such as sleep onset delays and frequent night wakings are common among young children (2-5 years). Children with a chronic health condition such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are even more prone to sleep problems, which are also associated with disease-related symptoms such as pain and fatigue. Early childhood is a critical period for establishing healthy sleep habits and self-regulation skills and is therefore an opportune time to identify and address unhealthy sleep habits. The Sleep Innovation for Preschoolers with Arthritis (SIPA) project will develop and pilot test a technology-based sleep intervention for parents of young children with JIA.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Sleep Innovations for Preschoolers with Arthritis (SIPA)

Detailed Description

The SIPA study aims to develop and test the usability, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a technology-based sleep intervention - Sleep Innovation for Preschoolers with Arthritis (SIPA) - that provides JIA parents with the necessary tools (self-efficacy, motivation, activation) to set goals, problem solve, and improve sleep in young children with JIA. SIPA will address the causes of sleep deficiency including behavioral sleep problems (e.g., sleep onset delay, frequent night awakenings, and sleep onset association disorder) in preschoolers with JIA using a single-arm pre- and post-test pilot study. Investigators will pilot test the intervention with 18 parents and preschoolers with JIA. Investigators will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention among users, as will as analyze its preliminary effectiveness in terms of changes in behavioral sleep problems in the preschoolers pre- and post-intervention. The specific aims are to:

Aim 1. Apply a user-centered iterative design approach to develop and test the usability of a technology- based sleep self-management intervention - Sleep Innovation for Preschoolers with Arthritis (SIPA) - for 2-5-year-old children (preschoolers) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

2. Describe the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the SIPA intervention to address the causes of behavioral sleep problems (e.g., frequent night awakenings, and sleep onset association disorder) that are the main cause of sleep deficiency in preschoolers with JIA using a single-arm pre- and post-test pilot study.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 16
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195
      • University of Washington

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 2 years to 5 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria for children:

• diagnosed with JIA
• 2-to-5 years
• parent report of sleep problems or sleep less than 9 hours/day

Inclusion Criteria for parents:

• >18 years
• able to read/speak English

Exclusion Criteria for children:

• diagnosed primary sleep disorder (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea)
• positive screen on the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (> 0.33) for sleep-disordered breathing (investigators will suggest follow up with the child's primary care provider because treatment of this condition is beyond the scope this intervention)
• developmental delay
• co-morbid condition (asthma, diabetes)

Exclusion Criteria for parents:

• nightshift work that would interfere with performing bedtime activities with children
• diagnosed with a chronic illness that would interfere with completing study procedures
• lack of daily access to the Internet or mobile device

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Intervention Group; 8-weeks online program with weekly modules for parents to learn about specific sleep topics and implement behavioral changes to improve their child's sleep.

Behavioral: Sleep Innovations for Preschoolers with Arthritis (SIPA); The SIPA intervention is interactive and personalized. Every week, parent will receive an email sent automatically through the system with instructions for this week's activity, designed to take about 30 minutes to complete. The SIPA weekly modules will begin with a learning module, then direct participants through goal setting, anticipated barriers, and problem solving. The intervention site will include fillable responses to queries, instructions, and assignments. Tasks for parents and their young children will use multimedia elements to enhance delivery of information, such as links to videos and pictures targeting self-efficacy, motivation, and patient activation. Submissions and progress will be monitored by the study team, who will send email, call or text with reminders (whichever the family prefers) and answer questions as needed, review progress, and help problem solve any technology issues or barriers to implementing skills.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Feasibility as Assessed by Adherence	Adherence is calculated by the total number of dyads completing all intervention modules divided by the total number of dyads enrolled.	immediately after intervention
Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire	The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) is a survey that assesses a child's sleep quality and quantity by asking parents to report on their child's sleep habits. The CSHQ has 45 items, including 33 scored questions and seven additional items. Parents rate each scored question on a three-point scale: usually, sometimes, and rarely. The total Sleep Disturbances score is calculated by adding up all the scored questions. All responses are totaled to create a Total Sleep Disturbance index (range from 33-99), with a score exceeding 41 suggesting the presence of a pediatric sleep disorder.	baseline; 8 weeks (immediately after intervention); and 3 months (study completion).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in sleep duration measured by actigraphy	actigraphy measured total sleep time	baseline; immediately after intervention; and 3 months (study completion).
Change in sleep quality measured by actigraphy	actigraphy measured sleep efficiency	baseline; immediately after intervention; and 3 months (study completion).

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Washington
• Collaborators: National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Weichao Yuwen, PhD, RN, University of Washington- Tacoma

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• SIPA Website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 20, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): April 22, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 10, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): April 21, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 17, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Self-management; Chronic disease; Sleep deficiency
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Musculoskeletal Diseases; Joint Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Connective Tissue Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Arthritis; Arthritis, Juvenile
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00008492; P30NR016585 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No