Modularized iCBT‑I self-learn training for university staff—prevention and early intervention in the SARS-CoV-2 crisis

Abstract

Background Insomnia is a widespread disease in adults and has a high prevalence rate. As sleep disturbances are a risk factor concerning mental and physical health, prevention and early intervention are necessary. Thus, the aim of this study was to implement a self-learning prevention and early intervention training for university staff members. We adapted an established cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) intervention as an online version for use during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) crisis. Methods Development and adaptation procedure of the internet-based CBT‑I (iCBT-I) prevention and early intervention training is described. Sessions and topics are shown in detail. The Online Sleep Prevention and Treatment Acceptance questionnaire (OSTA) and the Online Sleep Prevention and Treatment Feedback questionnaire (OSTF) were used to assess acceptance. Sleep problems of university staff members were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire (PSQI). Results The online-adapted version consisted of seven modules. Contents of sessions and topics were implemented based on video clips. Drawings were added to information regarding sleep and sleep hygiene as well as addressing stress and cognitions. In all, 15 individuals participated in this pilot study. The new iCBT‑I self-learning prevention training was well accepted. In addition, participants scored the online version as helpful based on the OSTA. Prior to online training, 89% of the participants reported impaired sleep quality or insomnia symptoms, and 56% had a PSQI score over 10. After training 78% of participants showed reduced sleep problems according to PSQI and 56% reached clinically significant enhancement. In addition, after training 44% were healthy sleepers. Discussion This is the first iCBT‑I prevention and early intervention training for university staff members. The training by participants was very well accepted and they scored the videos as very helpful. Sleep problems decreased after online training. However, further studies with larger samples and more sleep-related assessment strategies, e.g., actigraphy and sleep log, are necessary.

Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for psychological distress in older adults without cognitive impairment living in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A feasibility study

“…However, none of the aforementioned studies provide an effect size for the outcomes of mental health interventions. In addition, although some studies suggested good effectiveness of ICBT on sleep problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, they did not report an effect size of the improvement in mental health ( Schlarb et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ). Thus, we could not directly compare the effectiveness of these interventions; future RCTs should be conducted to compare the effects of different psychological interventions implemented during the pandemic.…”

“…To date, several studies have explored the efficacy of Internet-based mental health interventions on people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic ( Al-Alawi et al, 2021 ; Schlarb et al, 2021 ; Wei et al, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ; Zhou et al, 2020 ), while some smaller studies have focused on older adults ( Shapira et al, 2021 ; Goodman-Casanova et al, 2020 ), especially those living in nursing homes, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with emerging research, we conducted a feasibility study to examine ICBT's effectiveness in the treatment of psychological distress in older adults without cognitive impairment living in nursing homes in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Psychological Interventions in a Pandemic Emergency: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Studies

“…Twelve studies of psychological interventions on people during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were identified for inclusion [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. All studies were published in 2020 and 2021 and published in indexed journals.…”

“…Another study included health care workers without personal identifying information being collected [ 18 ]. The last four studies included the general population/adults with a mean age ranging from 42.0 to 45.0 years [ 20 , 29 ] and students with a mean age ranging from 8.2 to 31.0 years [ 21 , 27 ].…”

“…All studies, except for Mellins et al [ 18 ], Wei et al [ 19 ], and Schlarb et al [ 29 ], were randomized controlled trials (RCT). In particular, one study was a cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) [ 22 ], one study was an open-label pragmatic randomized controlled trial (opRCT) [ 23 ], one study was a prospective multicenter two-arm randomized controlled trial (PM2aRCT) [ 25 ], and one study was a longitudinal two-arm clinical trial (L2aCT) [ 26 ].…”