Digital cognitive behavioural therapy for patients with insomnia and depression: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Bai Nan , Cao Juling , Zhang Huiyue , Liu Xin , Yin Min 
Published: January 2024

Accessible Summary

What is known on the subject

Sleep problems are common among those with depression, and there is increasing evidence that sleep problems should be addressed during treatment simultaneously rather than treating depression alone.

The first‐line treatment for insomnia is cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT‐I), due to a lack of well‐trained therapists and patient time constraints (travelling, work), CBT‐I has not been popularized.

The development of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (dCBT‐I) is making the treatment more accessible.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge

Interventions for dCBT‐I were significantly better than other control conditions in both reducing insomnia and improving depression in patients with depression and insomnia comorbidities.

The effect was found to be related to the duration of the intervention and the severity of insomnia before the intervention and therapist‐involved dCBT‐I has less shedding than self‐help.

What are the implications for practice

It's important for mental health practitioners to realize that insomnia in depressed people needs to be treated.

Future trials may explore the effectiveness of therapist‐guided dCBT‐I in depressed populations and analyse the cost‐effectiveness of this treatment.

Aim

The aim of the study was to systematically identify and synthesize the evidence for the effectiveness of digital cognitive behavioural therapy in insomnia with comorbid depression.

Design

Systematic review and metaanalysis.

Methods

A search was conducted on five English and four non‐English databases from the inception of the databases to November 2023. This review adhered to the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analysis Statement 2020 and the included studies were evaluated using version 2 of the Cochrane risk of bias tool. This review examined sleep‐related outcomes, including insomnia severity and sleep diaries, along with psychological outcomes, such as depression. We conducted a meta‐analysis of each outcome using a random effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 statistic.

Results

A total of seven articles with 1864 participants were included in this review. The results showed that the digital cognitive behavioural therapy group demonstrated a statistically significant amelioration in the severity of insomnia symptoms, as well as a reduction in depressive symptomatology compared with the control groups. The post‐intervention effect was found to be related to the duration of the intervention and the severity of insomnia before the intervention.

Conclusions

Digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia application in patients with depression and insomnia was demonstrated to be effective, less time‐consuming and more accessible.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

We may consider incorporating nurses into treatment plans and conducting nurse‐led interventions in specific programs. In the future, nurses may be able to provide exclusive digital behavioural therapy for insomnia to patients with depression to achieve greater effectiveness.