Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
September 18, 2026 · via Europe PMC
The role of the transdiagnostic sleep and circadian intervention in adolescent bedtime and sleep quality: a pilot study.
Duraccio KM, Craig AB, Kamhout SLH, +7 more, Woolley M.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
A six-week transdiagnostic sleep and circadian intervention in adolescents shifted sleep timing about 30 minutes earlier and improved perceived sleep quality, without changing melatonin timing or mental health.
What was studied
Uncontrolled within-subject pilot study of 31 community adolescents with circadian misalignment completing the six-week TSC intervention, assessed by actigraphy, DLMO, and questionnaires.
Key findings
- Sleep midpoint shifted about 30 minutes earlier (p=0.023, g=0.591)
- Earlier weekend sleep onset (p=0.003, g=0.856)
- Improved subjective sleep quality (p=0.021, g=0.452)
- No change in DLMO, total sleep, sleep onset latency, chronotype, or mental health outcomes
Clinical relevance
This suggests TSC may help adolescents adjust sleep timing behaviourally, but the small uncontrolled pilot cannot establish efficacy.
Who should care
Limitations
Small sample, no control group, short follow-up, and limited diversity.
A structured sleep program helped teens go to bed earlier and sleep better, but needs controlled testing.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Purpose
Circadian misalignment is prevalent among adolescents and contributes to sleep deficiency and mental health struggles. There is a need for interventions targeting sleep and circadian difficulties in adolescents. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a Transdiagnostic Intervention for Sleep and Circadian Dysfunction (TSC) in a community-based adolescent sample with circadian misalignment. We hypothesized that TSC would improve sleep timing and duration, lessen circadian misalignment, improve subjective sleep quality, shorten sleep onset latency, and improve mental health outcomes.
Methods
Thirty-one adolescents (M age = 15.9 years (SD = 1.3); 45.2% female; 67.7% White) with self-reported circadian misalignment completed the six-week TSC intervention. Using a within-subject design, outcomes were assessed via actigraphy, dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO), Morningness-Evening Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Item before and after the intervention. Repeated-measure Generalized Linear Models were conducted to examine differences across outcomes from pre- to post-intervention.
Results
TSC was associated with a significant earlier shift in sleep midpoint (~ 30 min; p = .023, g = .591) and weekend sleep onset (p = .003, g = .856), alongside improved subjective sleep quality (p = .021, g = .452). No significant changes were observed in DLMO, circadian misalignment index, total sleep duration, sleep onset latency, chronotype, or any mental health outcomes.
Conclusion
TSC demonstrated improvements in behavioral sleep timing and perceived sleep quality in a community-based adolescent sample, even without detectable biological circadian phase shifts. These findings extend prior efficacy research into real-world clinical contexts. Future studies should incorporate control groups, longer follow-up periods, and more diverse samples to clarify TSC's mechanisms and broader effectiveness.
Current knowledge/study rationale
Circadian misalignment is prevalent among adolescents and contributes to sleep deficiency and mental health struggles, highlighting a need for effective interventions targeting sleep and circadian difficulties in adolescents. The Transdiagnostic Intervention for Sleep and Circadian Dysfunction (TSC) is a promising intervention, but more research is needed to fully understand its effectiveness across multiple contexts.
Study impact
This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of TSC on the sleep, circadian functioning, and mental health of adolescents with circadian misalignment. Our results increase our understanding of the strengths and limitations of TSC, which informs future research and clinical practice.
DOI
10.1007/s44470-026-00180-x
PMID
42760394
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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