Acceptance and Commitment Therapy fo insomnia in adults with obsessive compulsive disorder

• Grant number: 24/15237-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Renatha El Rafihi Ferreira
• Grantee: Léo Paulos Guarnieri
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psiquiatria Doutor Antonio Carlos Pacheco e Silva (IPq). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Insomnia is common in individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), potentially exacerbating obsessive thoughts and contributing to their persistence. Due to the negative impacts of sleep deprivation in this population, a specific treatment for sleep issues is warranted. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is proposed as a potentially useful intervention for treating insomnia in individuals with OCD, as it focuses on accepting associated feelings and thoughts rather than controlling symptoms, through actions based on values. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of an ACT-based protocol in adults diagnosed with both insomnia and OCD. An experimental single-subject design with multiple concurrent baselines among participants will be used. Adults aged between 18 and 65 years, with chronic insomnia and OCD diagnoses, will be randomized into baseline periods of five, six, or seven weeks. The intervention, based on ACT and behavioral components of stimulus control and sleep restriction, will consist of ten weekly individual sessions. Assessments of insomnia symptoms, depression, anxiety, sleep health, quality of life, psychological flexibility, acceptance, and beliefs about sleep will be conducted before treatment, after treatment, and at a six-month follow-up. Weekly assessments of insomnia symptoms, sleep acceptance, and psychological flexibility will be performed. Daily measures of OCD symptoms and sleep patterns will be collected through diaries and actigraphy. Results will be evaluated through time series analyses.