PhD Studentship: PILLOW: Feasibility, clinical effectiveness and economic rationale of CBT-I and digital CBT in pregnancy

Primary supervisor - Prof Niall Broomfield

Pregnancy insomnia is a common, intractable and disabling condition which remains poorly understood and treated. It is associated with significant medical problems including preeclampsia, diabetes, preterm birth, and fetal growth restriction. It also predisposes women to anxiety and depression, postpartum psychosis, childbirth related trauma, and suicide. 

Current pharmacological options are largely ineffective, and their use is limited by maternal side effects and concerns of their impact on the developing fetus. 

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) remains a viable alternative but to date few studies have explored its use in pregnancy. There is no conclusive data available on long term efficacy, maternal and neonatal outcomes and whether its use leads to improved maternal perinatal mental health outcomes.

The proposed studentship is supported by an international multicentre research collaboration (PILLOW) established to evaluate the feasibility, clinical effectiveness and economic rationale of CBT-I and digital CBT in pregnancy, aims to recruit 400 women across 10 large scale maternity centres across the UK.

Overall Aims

• To determine the safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of CBT-I and dCBT-I compared to treatment as usual to treat pregnancy insomnia in the UK NHS.
• To determine the impact of CBT-I and dCBT-I on on adverse pregnancy outcomes and comorbid depression and anxiety in a pregnancy insomnia cohort

PhD Studentship Context

The PhD candidate will benefit from supervision and mentorship within a strong multidisciplinary research team (clinical psychology, obstetrics, midwifery) with extensive internationally based expertise in this area

• Literat ure reviews, systematic reviews and metanalyses of the use CBT and digital CBT in pregnancy
• Benefit from training to develop bespoke APP based CBT technologies specifically designed for use in pregnancy
• Training opportunities and meeting with groups in Oxford and California (USA)
• Training to achieve proficiency in delivery of CBT-I, quantitative and qualitative research methods including relevant statistical models (Linear Mixed Models, ANOVA, ANCOVA, Logistic Regression).

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement is 2:1.  

Mode of study

Full-time

Start date

1 October 2026

Additional Funding Information

This project is fully funded for 3 years. Funding includes tuition fees, an annual tax-free maintenance allowance and a research training support budget.

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