Evidence-Based Reviews

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia: A review of 8 studies

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References

Outcomes

  • Immediately after completing the intervention, cancer survivors treated with CBT-I had significantly less depression (38% greater improvement in depression) compared with those who received SHE (control group).
  • In the CBT-I group, 23% of cancer survivors achieved a clinically important reduction (5-point reduction on PHQ-9 total score) in depression at postintervention compared with 6% of those in the control group.
  • At 3 months after the intervention, only 14% of cancer survivors in CBT-I group reported depression (PHQ-9 score >4), whereas 47% of those in the control group (SHE) reported depression.

Conclusion

  • CBT-I improves both depression and insomnia in cancer survivors, and the improvements are sustained at 3 months after completing treatment.
  • Improvement in insomnia severity appears to mediate the positive effects of CBT-I on depression.

8. Harb GC, Cook JM, Phelps AJ, et al. Randomized controlled trial of imagery rehearsal for posttraumatic nightmares in combat veterans. J Clin Sleep Med. 2019;15(5):757-767.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends imagery rehearsal (IR) therapy, which incorporates some components of CBT-I, for the treatment of recurrent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)–related nightmares. In this study, Harb et al16 compared CBT-I plus IR to CBT-I alone for the treatment of nightmares in veterans with combat-related PTSD.

Study design

  • This RCT included male and female US veterans (n = 108) deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with current PTSD and recurrent nightmares related to deployment.
  • Participants were randomized to 6 sessions of CBT-I plus IR or CBT-I alone.
  • Primary outcome measures included frequency of nightmares and distress associated with nightmares.

Continue to: Outcomes

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