Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Insomnia Via Internet or Telehealth

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for chronic insomnia, which is a prevalent and costly problem. This pilot study will compare the effectiveness of two brief (6 week) psychological interventions delivered to residents of rural Manitoba using Telehealth or an interactive Internet-based platform. It is hypothesized that a) participants in the Telehealth condition will report significantly greater improvements in sleep parameters(e.g., sleep efficiency, time awake in bed, sleep-onset latency),insomnia severity, and daytime fatigue than those in the Internet condition and that b)participants in the Telehealth condition will show better adherence to treatment and greater satisfaction with treatment than those in the Internet condition.

The primary outcome measure will be insomnia severity, as assessed by the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI; Morin, 2003), a 6-item self-report measure of impairment due to sleep difficulties

Sleep diaries are a standard daily outcome measure for insomnia. The version used here (Morin, 1993) includes information regarding total sleep time, sleep-onset latency, sleep-efficiency, number of night awakenings, time awake in then night, sleep quality, and frequency of use of sleep medications.

Inclusion Criteria: Must be residents of rural Manitoba (Canada) Must meet research diagnostic criteria for insomnia Must have access to a computer and high-speed internet Exclusion Criteria: Comorbid conditions (medical and psychiatric) must be stable

Holmqvist M, Vincent N, Walsh K. Web- vs. telehealth-based delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: a randomized controlled trial. Sleep Med. 2014 Feb;15(2):187-95. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2013.10.013. Epub 2013 Dec 31.