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Two talk therapies for insomnia in veterans who also have PTSD

Compares a new acceptance-based therapy with standard insomnia therapy in veterans with PTSD.

Key facts

Who runs it
VA Office of Research and Development
Where
Miami and Sepulveda, United StatesSee the 2 sites
Trial code
Registry title
Treatments for Insomnia in Veterans With PTSD
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
400 people, planned
Started
1 Sept 2022
Expected to end
30 Jun 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • The ABC of Insomnia (Acceptance and the Behavioral Changes to treat Insomnia)
  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
Record updated
27 July 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for Veterans who have symptoms of both PTSD and insomnia (trouble sleeping). It compares two talk-based sleep treatments, ABC-I and CBT-I.

Age
18 years and older
Sex
All sexes
Disease stage
Symptoms of PTSD and symptoms of insomnia. Must live in the community, have had care from VAGLAHS in the prior year, and live within a 50-mile radius of the VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center research offices.
Earlier treatment
People currently in prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD cannot join.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Being pregnant now, or having a child less than 6 months of age (men and women)
  • Active substance use, or less than 90 days of sobriety in recovery
  • Severe, untreated breathing problems during sleep (AHI>15 with excessive daytime sleepiness, or AHI>30)
  • Restless legs syndrome or a body-clock sleep disorder, including shift work sleep disorder, that explains the sleep problems
  • Unstable medical or mental health conditions, unstable housing, or being unable to give consent yourself

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 16 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • community-dwelling Veterans aged 18 years and older,
  • received care from VAGLAHS in the prior year,
  • live within a 50-mile radius of the research offices at the VA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center,
  • have symptoms of PTSD,
  • have symptoms of insomnia

Who cannot take part

  • remission of insomnia symptoms prior to randomization
  • current participation in prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD
  • restless legs syndrome that accounts for the sleep disturbances reported,
  • a circadian rhythm sleep disorder that accounts for the sleep disturbances reported (including shift work sleep disorder),
  • unstable medical or psychiatric disorders (which is a contraindication for behavioral treatment of insomnia)
  • current pregnancy or has a child less than 6 months of age (men and women),
  • active substance users or in recovery with less than 90 days of sobriety,
  • too ill to engage in the study procedures,
  • unable to self-consent to participate,
  • unstable housing (since we may not be able to retrieve costly and difficult to replace monitoring equipment),
  • severe, untreated sleep disordered breathing (AHI>15 with excessive daytime sleepiness, or AHI>30),

Where in United States

  • Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FLMiami, United StatesContact: Jennifer L Martin, PhDNo longer taking part
  • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, CASepulveda, United StatesContact: Gwendolyn Carlson, PhDTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

This randomized trial will compare a novel treatment, Acceptance of the Behavioral Changes to Treat Insomnia (ABC-I) to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) among Veterans with comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and insomnia disorder. ABC-I combines the behavioral components of CBT-I with components of another behavioral therapy (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and has been shown to improve treatment adherence.

Read full original descriptionShow less

The study objectives are: 1) to evaluate the benefits of ABC-I in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Veterans with comorbid PTSD and insomnia disorder compared to CBT-I, and 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of ABC-I in improving insomnia symptoms and sleep quality among Veterans with comorbid PTSD and insomnia disorder as compared to CBT-I.

Veterans with insomnia and comorbid PTSD who receive care at Sepulveda and West Los Angeles facilities will be recruited for the study. Those who pass an initial eligibility screen will be enrolled and written informed consent will be obtained. A baseline assessment will be completed that includes measures of sleep, PTSD, and quality of life. Veterans who meet all eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned to the ABC-I (n=100) or CBT-I (n=100) treatment. Both treatments will be provided in 5 one-on-one sessions by a trained instructor who is supervised by a behavioral sleep medicine specialist. All randomized participants (n=200) will have 3 follow-up assessments (post-treatment, 3-months, and 6-months after randomization). The follow-up assessments will collect information on PTSD symptoms, insomnia symptoms and sleep quality.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • The ABC of Insomnia (Acceptance and the Behavioral Changes toTreatment being tested

    This is the new treatment arm that is being compared to CBT-I, standard treatment for insomnia.

    Treatment: The ABC of Insomnia (Acceptance and the Behavioral Changes to treat Insomnia)

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for InsomniaExisting treatment, for comparison

    This is the standard treatment for insomnia that is being compared to the new treatment (ABCI).

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

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Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
A Novel Acceptance-based Treatment for Insomnia in Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Plain-language title
Two talk therapies for insomnia in veterans who also have PTSDGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
Record updated
27 July 2026