Assessment of the effectiveness of online and face-to-face cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia/nightmares in adults exposed to trauma using self-report and objective measures: preliminary findings

This review assessed the efficacy of online CBT for the treatment of insomnia in comparison to face-to-face CBT using self-report and objective measures of sleep such as actigraphy. A literature search on the following databases was carried out: PubMed, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, EBSCO and Taylor & Francis between January 1990 and January of 2022. Two studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings from this review showed that both online and face-to-face CBT were effective treatments of insomnia, with face-to-face outperforming online CBT in adults with trauma symptoms using sleep diaries. However, findings from actigraphy were not consistent with self-report measures. Further studies that assess and compare online and face-to-face psychological treatments for the treatment of insomnia/nightmares in those presenting with trauma symptoms are needed. Keywords: Insomnia; Nightmares; Trauma; CBT; Objective; Self-report; Measures