Like most people, children benefit from deep, restful sleep. But when their sleep is repeatedly interrupted by nightmares, they are prone to serious mental health consequences, including daytime distress, hyperarousal, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Given these ill effects, a recent systematic review underscored the need for clinical trials for treatments that address nightmares in children.
University of Tulsa Professor of Psychology Lisa DeMarni Cromer is one of only a handful of researchers worldwide immersed in the study of this urgent topic. A clinical psychologist and the director of UTulsa’s SPARTA lab, Cromer was the lead author on an article published this summer in Frontiers in Sleep regarding research that deployed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with children who experience chronic nightmares.
Cromer’s work is the culmination of 12 years of research conducted in the Kendall College of Arts & Sciences and devoted to helping youths and young adults be “good sleepers.” Initially, Cromer addressed her inquiries to trauma-related nightmares. Soon after the first pilot study, however, she modified the treatment “so that it could benefit all kids with chronic nightmares.”
As reported in their recent publication, Cromer tested a telehealth CBT approach in collaboration with Dr. Tara Buck at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. The subjects, ages 6 to 17, received exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy, as well as psychoeducation on sleep, nightmares, and related topics. Results were positive: After just five treatment sessions, there was statistically significant improvement in nightmare distress as well as the number of weekly nightmares and nights with awakening (see figure 1).
“The door to this fascinating area was opened for me by my colleague, mentor, and friend Joanne Davis, Ph.D., soon after I joined UTulsa,” said Cromer, noting that Davis’ student Shantel Fernandez-Lopez (M.A. ’05, Ph.D. ’09) completed the initial adaptation before she came on board. “Joanne’s work on adults and mine on children have shown that individuals who improve immediately after treatment will continue to see gains after treatment. If we followed up with our study’s kids in six months, we would expect their nightmares to be almost entirely gone.”
In addition to collaborating with her peers, Cromer’s research was supported by many undergraduates. Working in her SPARTA lab, they created kid-friendly graphics for the therapy manuals and sticker charts to motivate parents, as well as entered the study’s data. “I’m so proud of their contributions and of the fact that many have now gone on to graduate school,” Cromer remarked.
If you know of a youth with nightmares who might quality for the study, call 918-631-3242 or email sleepstrong@ouhsc.edu or lisa-cromer@utulsa.edu for more information. Clinicians who wish to receive training on the treatment can reach out to lisa-cromer@utulsa.edu.