Effects of Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Self-Reported Sleep Parameters: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Year: 2025
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (dCBT-I) is an effective alternative to therapist-delivered CBT-I. However, there is a lack of meta-analyses assessing its effects on other sleep-related outcomes. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating dCBT-I in adults with insomnia through polysomnography (PSG) and sleep diary. Systematic searches were performed in PubMed and Web of Science. The outcomes considered were total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency (SOL), sleep efficiency (SE), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and number of awakenings (NWAK). Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models to compare dCBT-I with active (in-person or telehealth CBT-I) or inactive (waiting list, no treatment, or minimal intervention) control groups. Of the fourteen RCTs included, only three employed an active control. As no trials used PSG, the analyses relied solely on sleep diary data. DCBT-I showed no statistically significant differences from active controls, indicating comparable effects with therapist-delivered CBT-I. In contrast, it demonstrated statistically significant effects against inactive controls; TST increased by 0.20 h, SOL decreased by 15.53 min, SE improved by 7.91%, WASO reduced by 15.61 min, and NWAK decreased by 0.53. Future research should prioritize comparisons with therapist-delivered CBT-I and incorporate PSG for measuring these parameters.
Source: Clocks & Sleep
Authors: Ingrid Porto Araújo Leite, Viviane Akemi Kakazu, Lucca Andrade Teixeira de Carvalho, Sergio Tufik, Gabriel Natan Pires
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,930
Award: G6128812394
OpenAlex ID: W4417123606