Tailored Cognitive Therapy Helps Black Women Fight Insomnia

WEDNESDAY, May 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for insomnia tailored for Black women improves sleep outcomes and intervention engagement, according to a study published online April 20 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Eric S. Zhou, Ph.D., from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues compared the efficacy of a standard versus a culturally tailored version of an internet-delivered CBT program for improving insomnia symptoms. The analysis included 333 Black women randomly assigned to an automated internet-delivered treatment called Sleep Healthy Using the Internet (SHUTi), a tailored version of SHUTi for Black women (SHUTi-BWHS), or patient education (PE) about sleep.

The researchers found that those randomly assigned to receive either SHUTi or SHUTi-BWHS reported significantly greater reductions in the Insomnia Severity Index score at six-month follow-up (SHUTi: −10.0 points; SHUTi-BWHS: −9.3 points) versus PE (−3.6 points). Intervention completion was significantly higher among participants assigned to SHUTi-BWHS versus SHUTi (78.2 versus 64.8 percent), with those completing either intervention showing greater reductions in insomnia severity versus noncompleters.

"Known sleep health disparities facing Black women in the U.S. were addressed with an evidence-based treatment, and engagement was increased using a culturally adapted intervention," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the digital therapeutic industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)