Brief Versus Standard Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Veterans

Insomnia is a common condition in Veterans, with prevalence rates as high as 53% among treatment-seeking Veterans. Chronic untreated insomnia is associated with increased risk for functional impairment, psychiatric illness, suicidal ideation, unhealthy lifestyles, and decreased quality of life. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is recognized as the first-line treatment for insomnia. Despite its proven efficacy, CBT-I is not always readily provided and/or accessible to Veterans. To address these limitations, behavioral sleep medicine specialists have endeavored to streamline CBT-I through development of time-shortened variations of CBT-I. Although these modifications show promise for advancing care and access, studies comparing brief treatments to standard CBT-I have yet to be performed. This investigation will therefore compare a 4-session brief CBT-I to VA standard 6-session CBT-I to evaluate whether a brief intervention can provide comparable benefits to sleep, functional, and psychiatric outcomes in Veterans with insomnia.