The efficacy of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) for the treatment of insomnia by comparison of sleep parameters, degrees of anxiety and depression of the ICBT, with traditional face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy for insomnia. Methods Seventy-nine cases meeting proposed DSM-5 criteria for insomnia disorder were randomly assigned to ICBT (n=27), CBT (n=26), and pharmacotherapy (n=26) group, and treated accordingly for 8 consecutive weeks. The sleep parameters, the levels of anxiety and depression in the 3 groups were compared and analyzed before, 4 weeks after and the termination of treatment. Results Comparing to that of pre-treatment, the sleep parameters were significantly improved, anxiety and depression levels obviously decreased after treatment for 4 and 8 consecutive weeks, the differences were statistically significant (P0.05) was found in sleep parameters and anxiety level between ICBT group and CBT group. Conclusion ICBT may display a slower effect on improving speed in falling asleep than the pharmacotherapy does, but the efficacy of ICBT is better than that of pharmacotherapy after treatment, and there is no significant difference compared to traditional face-to-face CBT.