NCT07836491 · NOT YET RECRUITING
Web-Based Insomnia Treatment for Spousal Dementia Caregivers (SHUTi-DC)
This trial tests SHUTi-DC, an online 8-week program based on cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, for spouses caring for a partner with dementia. Half get the full program, half get basic sleep education. Researchers want to know if it improves sleep. It has no phase designation because it's a behavioral, not drug, study.
You may qualify if
- Age 18 years or older
- Spousal caregiver of a person with a clinician-diagnosed Alzheimer's disease or related dementia, with both partners cohabiting in the community
- Clinically meaningful insomnia symptoms, defined as an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score of 8 or higher
- Regular internet access and ability to independently use a computer or smartphone
- Fluent in English
- Residing within the United States
You're excluded if
- Parasomnia symptoms, including dream enactment or injurious nocturnal behaviors suggestive of REM sleep behavior disorder
- Night-shift work, indicating primary circadian misalignment rather than insomnia
- Current behavioral or psychological treatment for insomnia
- Severe psychiatric conditions, such as current mania or hypomania, that would interfere with participation or safety
- Significant cognitive impairment in the caregiver that would limit ability to engage in study procedures
- Medical conditions that substantially affect sleep or safety, including neurodegenerative disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, severe respiratory disease, pregnancy, or breastfeeding
- Sleep difficulties fully attributable to caregiving tasks without underlying insomnia mechanisms
The sponsor's own eligibility wording, lightly reformatted. The study team makes the final eligibility decision — worth discussing with your doctor.
Eligibility criteria as of 2026-09-23