The iTAP Study for Veterans

More than half of returning Veterans who screen positive for hazardous drinking report clinically significant symptoms of insomnia. In turn, insomnia symptoms have been associated with increased risk of alcohol‐related problems, perhaps due to insomnia‐related impairments in executive functioning, negative emotionality, and craving. The proposed project aims to examine improvements in insomnia as a mechanism for improvement in alcohol use among heavy‐drinking Veterans with insomnia. Forty‐four returning Veterans who report heavy drinking (≥4/5 drinks per occasion for women/men) and have insomnia based on DSM‐5 and research diagnostic criteria will participate in a randomized pilot trial. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive personalized normative alcohol feedback in the context of one of two treatment conditions: CBT‐I (n = 22) or a sleep hygiene education control (SH; n = 22). Outcomes will be assessed at the end of the active intervention period (6 weeks), mid‐treatment (after 3 sessions), and at 3 months post‐intervention. Outcomes of interest include insomnia severity, total wake time, sleep quality, drinking quantity/frequency, alcohol‐related consequences, executive functioning, negative affect, emotion regulation, craving for alcohol, and use of alcohol as a sleep aid.