Assessing a Digital Intervention for Prevention of Sleep Problems among Young People with and without Structural Sleep Barriers

Sleep problems rise in prevalence during adolescence and young adulthood and pose risk for a myriad of negative mental and physical health outcomes. Existing behavioral sleep interventions assumes existing moderate to severe sleep problems and that these problems are caused by behavioral habits, not structural/environmental factors. This study tested the proximal impacts of Project Sleep, a digital single-session intervention (SSI) for young people with mild sleep problems OR an interest in learning about sleep habits, with the aim of reducing and preventing sleep problems. This study specifically investigates whether there are differential effects of the intervention for those with structural sleep barriers, to lay the groundwork for future randomized controlled trial and long-term follow up studies assessing the effects of this intervention for this group. Participants were aged 13-25 with self-reported sleep problems (N=759, Mage=18.7; 48% white, 81% girls, 38% LGBTQ+). Structural sleep barriers were reported by 45%: uncomfortable temperature (20%), exceess noise (17%), shared rooms (13%), excess light (10%), nighttime workers in the home (7%), unstable living conditions (2%). Participants rated perceived importance of sleep and making a change to sleep, readiness for change, and perceived control over sleep pre- and post-SSI. Moderation models assessed whether structural factors influenced outcomes. T-tests and correlations tested whether participants’ feedback differed by structural barriers. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, those experiencing structural barriers improved similarly to peers on all pre/post-SSI change metrics (corrected ps > .05). There were also no differences in participants’ feedback about their experience of the SSI by structural barrier (ps > .05). This study thus provides preliminary evidence that Project Sleep may be an effective sleep health promotion tool among young people, including those with structural sleep barriers. However, given this study measured only proximal impacts, future research should continue to test these questions using a randomized controlled trial and long-term follow-up design.