0361 Brief Telephone-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders reported by cancer patients. Although Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the first line of treatment for insomnia, it is underutilized among cancer patients. Common barriers include lack of trained provides, transportation to treatment centers, and duration of treatment. Telehealth platforms provide the unique opportunity to deliver timely, cost-effective and accessible CBT-I to cancer patients. The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT-I delivered over the telephone among cancer patients. Method(s): Participants were 13 cancer patients diagnosed with insomnia. Most participants were female (n = 11) with an average age of 58.3 (SD = 9.0). Participants attended one clinical interview in-person followed by four telephone-delivered CBT-I sessions. Pre and post measures included the Structured Clinical Interview for Sleep Disorders, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, sleep diary, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression. All patients completed the four treatment sessions, which were provided by master's-level clinicians. Result(s): Paired t-tests were conducted to compare insomnia, depressive and anxiety symptoms at pre- and post-treatment. There was a significant decrease in insomnia severity at post-treatment (M = 7.0; SD = 3.6) compared to pre-treatment (M = 16.6; SD = 3.5), t(12), 9.9, p < .001. Similarly, there was a significant improvement in sleep quality as evidenced by a reduction on sleep symptoms at post-treatment (M = 5.5; SD = 2.4) compared to pre-treatment (M = 11.3; SD = 3.3), t(12), 11.5, p < .001. However, there was not significant difference between pre- and post-treatment on depression and anxiety scores. Conclusion(s): Brief telephone-delivered CBT-I appears to be an effective treatment option for cancer patients suffering from insomnia. Further research is needed to determine whether CBT-I could also impact anxiety and depressive symptoms.