O047 An online sleep education workshop for trainee psychologists improves sleep knowledge, skills, and confidence to treat insomnia: A waitlist comparison study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Despite the clear influence of poor sleep on mental health, nearly half of trainee psychologists receive no sleep education. This limits their ability to manage common sleep disorders, such as insomnia, that adversely impact mental health. This study examined the effectiveness of an online sleep education workshop for improving trainee psychologists’ sleep knowledge and their skills and confidence to deliver evidence-based interventions for insomnia. Methods Trainee psychologists enrolled in a six-hour online sleep education workshop (n=186, M age=32, 80% female) or waitlist comparison group (n=70, M age=32, 81% female) offered at their university as part of their postgraduate coursework or a voluntary workshop. Sleep education assessments were completed at pre-and post-intervention (2-4 weeks) and long-term follow-up (12 months). Results Workshop attendees demonstrated significant improvements in sleep knowledge post-intervention (pre: 55% vs. post: 80% correct) relative to the waitlist comparison group (pre: 52% vs. post: 51% correct; p<.001). Post-intervention, workshop attendees reported increased confidence in treating insomnia using an evidence-based approach compared to the waitlist group (p<.001). At 12 months post-intervention, 92% of trainees reported utilizing the knowledge and skills learned in the sleep education workshop in their clinical practice. Discussion Psychologists are front-line mental health service providers, yet sleep education is missing from the psychology curriculum. Online sleep education workshops provide trainee psychologists with the essential sleep knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to manage insomnia in clinical practice. Such online workshops can be scaled to deliver cost-effective training to psychologists nationally and successfully bridge the evidence-practice gap.