Insomnia in college students: Specificities regarding psychological treatment

Abstract

Cognitive and behavioral techniques for insomnia's treatment have solid empirical evidence. Generally, when psychologists treat insomniac college students they face important challenges in the implementation of standard techniques. This paper aims to present a script of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) adapted to college students based on our clinical experience. We discuss the most frequently strategies recommended for the treatment of insomnia in adults taking into account the adjustments that might be necessary to do in order to maximize its effectiveness and efficiency for a college student population. In the end, we highlight the main points that should be explored in future empirical studies. CBT-I seems to be relevant for treating insomnia in college settings, however, the study of adaptation of the well-known techniques seems necessary to maximize its therapeutic effect.