0348 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in African Americans: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Co-morbid sleep continuity disturbance (SCD) and insufficient sleep duration (ISD) disproportionately affect the sleep health of Black Americans (BA). Simultaneously, treating SCD and ISD may improve health and reduce disparities experienced by this community. Although standard cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) ranges from six to eight sessions and directly addresses SCD, standard CBT-I does not appreciably increase total sleep time (TST) and therefore does not adequately address ISD during treatment. This report presents the overall study outcomes of CBT-I (without respect to dose of CBT-I) in BA. Methods Twelve BA adults (83% female, Mage 46.0±13.9yrs) were recruited from the Philadelphia area. CBT-I was provided by one of four master CBT-I therapists via telehealth for up to 16 sessions. Two follow-up assessments were conducted at 3 and 6 months. Participants completed daily measures of sleep continuity (sleep diaries) and weekly measures of insomnia severity (ISI). Results Overall, 75% of participants exhibited a treatment response corresponding to a reduction of 58% (effect size [ES]=-2.3) on the ISI. With respect to sleep continuity (measured in minutes), there was a 61% (ES=-1.4) reduction in sleep latency (30.1 to 11.8), 76% (ES=-1.7) reduction in wake-after-sleep onset (32.4 to 7.8), 81% (ES=-1.2) reduction in early morning awakenings (32.2 to 6.3), 7% (ES=0.3) increase in TST (381.3 to 408.0), a 9% (ES=-0.6) reduction in time in bed (476.0 to 433.7), and an overall 16% (ES=2.9) improvement in sleep efficiency. Conclusion Results from this pilot study indicate that standard CBT-I produces robust effects in BA with insomnia. Analyses are ongoing and will examine group interactions and treatment durability at follow-up. Support (if any) K24AG055602