Effectiveness of Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia during Quarantine of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Pandemic: A Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background and Objective: In the late 2019, an acute respiratory syndrome [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)] resulted in a pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study was designed to compare the efficacy of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (ICBT-I) with online relaxation training for management of insomnia during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This controlled trial was conducted on adults (18-65 years) with the complaint of insomnia who called psychology call centers in Mashhad, Iran, from March to June 2020. Participants with insomnia symptoms starting after SARS-CoV-2 pandemic who had Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores of ≥ 15 were included in the study. Five weekly sessions of ICBT-I as the intervention were compared with 5 weekly online relaxation training sessions in the control group. ISI before and after 5 weeks of follow-up was compared in both groups. Results: From a total cohort of 144 subjects included in the study, 98 were excluded and the remainder were allocated to 23 cases and 23 control subjects. During follow-up period, 5 individuals (21.7%) dropped out in each group. The mean ISI scores improved after therapy (20.6 to 8.5 and 21.8 to 13.0 for intervention and control groups, respectively). Conclusion: ICBT-I significantly improved insomnia severity during home quarantine of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We suggest that ICBT-I could be an effective and feasible alternative in pandemic of an infectious disease. Clients accepted ICBT-I with a minor drop-out in our study.