DISCA (SleepBuddy)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Multicentre randomised controlled trial of digital parent guided sleep intervention (Sleep Buddy) versus usual care in children aged 6-12 years with ADHD and chronic insomnia.
IRAS ID
349971
Contact name
Catherine Mary Hill
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Almost 75% of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have sleep problems. Parents and carers tell us that poor sleep makes their children’s daytime behaviour and schoolwork worse and affects the quality of life of the whole family.
The aim of this study is to see if our new website Sleep Buddy, can help parents/carers of children aged 6-12 years with a diagnosis of ADHD, to improve their child’s sleep.
Sleep Buddy was developed by parents and carers of children with ADHD working with sleep experts. It has personalised information and advice on how primary caregivers can manage their child’s sleep problems with videos and top tips from other parents. The website will help primary caregivers to create a sleep plan to help their child’s sleep.
The study will last for 6 months, and over 300 people will take part. The study can be completed online.
Parents or carers taking part will be put into one of two groups. One group will have access to the Sleep Buddy website for 6 months. The other group will not, but will continue to receive the health care and support that they have always been given. This group will also get access to the website after 6 months, at the end of the research project.
At the start of the study, both groups will be asked to fill out a short sleep diary online every morning for 10 Days. They will also complete some questionnaires online and some with a study researcher on video chat. The child will be invited to complete some computer-based attention and memory tasks, with the support of one of our researchers. All participants will complete the sleep diary, questionnaires and tasks at month 3 and month 6.REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
25/WS/0007
Date of REC Opinion
24 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion