Zhongguo quanke yixue (Dec 2024)
The Effect of E-aid Brief Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Insomnia Disorders
Abstract
Background Insomnia disorder is a common mental health condition that significantly impacts patients' lives and well-being. Traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective non-pharmacological treatment method, but its complexity, time-consuming nature, and low compliance limit its real-world application. Brief behavioral therapy for insomnia (BBT-I), based on CBT-I principles, offers comparable efficacy while being more suitable for real-world dissemination. However, the applicability of BBT-I to the Chinese population with insomnia disorder remains unclear, and research on BBT-I conducted online is lacking. Objective This study aims to investigate the efficacy of online e-aid brief behavioral therapy for insomnia (eBBT-I) delivered via WeChat Mini Program in improving insomnia symptoms among Chinese patients with insomnia disorder. Additionally, the study explores its impact on patients' sleep beliefs and attitudes. Methods This study employed a prospective non-randomized controlled design. Insomnia disorder patients from the Sleep Clinic at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University between February and November 2023 were assigned to the intervention group. Insomnia disorder volunteers recruited online and offline were assigned to the control group. The intervention group received a 2-week eBBT-I (e-aid brief behavioral therapy for insomnia) treatment, while the control group received a sham intervention of mental health education. The severity of insomnia was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep-16 (DBAS-16) questionnaire before and after the intervention to evaluate its effectiveness. Results The study ultimately included 35 patients in the intervention group and 30 patients in the control group. Key outcome measures: there was a significant interaction effect between group and time for ISI scores (P<0.05). Group and time separately had significant main effects on ISI scores (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference in ISI scores was observed between the two groups at baseline (pre-intervention) (P>0.05). After 14 days of intervention, the intervention group had lower ISI scores than the control group (P<0.05). Within the intervention group, ISI scores decreased after 14 days compared to baseline (P<0.05). Secondary outcome measures: there was no interaction effect between group and time for DBAS-16 scores (P>0.05). Time had a significant main effect on DBAS-16 scores (P<0.05). Group did not have a significant main effect on DBAS-16 scores (P>0.05). No statistically significant difference in DBAS-16 scores was found between the two groups at baseline or after 14 days (P>0.05). However, within the intervention group, DBAS-16 scores increased after 14 days compared to baseline (P<0.05) . Conclusion This indicates that eBBT-I effectively improved insomnia symptoms and negative impact in patients with insomnia disorder, but further improvement in sleep beliefs and attitudes is still needed. This study supports the feasibility and effectiveness of eBBT-I in the treatment of insomnia disorder among Chinese patients.
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