Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: A meta-analysis of long-term effects in controlled studies

Journal article

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a treatment with moderate to large effects. These effects are believed to be sustained long-term, but no systematic meta-analyses of recent evidence exist. In this present meta-analysis, we investigate long-term effects in 30 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CBT-I to non-active control groups. The primary analyses (n = 29 after excluding one study which was an outlier) showed that CBT-I is effective at 3-, 6- and 12-mo compared to non-active controls: Hedges g for Insomnia severity index: 0.64 (3 m), 0.40 (6 m) and 0.25 (12 m); sleep onset latency: 0.38 (3 m), 0.29 (6 m) and 0.40 (12 m); sleep efficiency: 0.51 (3 m), 0.32 (6 m) and 0.35 (12 m). We demonstrate that although effects decline over time, CBT-I produces clinically significant effects that last up to a year after therapy.

Authors: Van Der Zweerde, T; Bisdounis, L; Kyle, S; Lancee, J; Van Straten, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Sleep Medicine Reviews
• Volume: 48
• Article number: 101208
• Publication date: 2019-08-12
• Acceptance date: 2019-08-07
• DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.08.002
• EISSN: 1532-2955
• ISSN: 1087-0792
• Pmid: 31491656
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR