Piloting an Adaption of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia for Shift Workers (CBTI-Shift)

2021 Strategic Research Grant

JESSICA DIETCH, PHD
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Key Project Outcomes

Shift work, defined as working hours outside of a “typical workday,” is common, particularly among essential industries. Shift work is associated with elevated risk for medical and mental health problems. Shift workers are particularly likely to experience sleep problems like insomnia, but existing insomnia treatments have not been particularly successful in shift workers so far. The purpose of this study was to conduct the first test of a new intervention, adapted from cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, in a sample of shift-working nursing staff. The intervention, CBTI-Shift, is a therapist-delivered intervention. In this study, we compared CBTI-Shift to Relaxation, both delivered over telehealth. Sixty participants were randomized to receive CBTI-Shift or Relaxation across 10 weeks, and they were asked about their sleep and how the treatment worked for them. The primary results showed that the participants found the treatment to be feasible, appropriate, and acceptable. Participants in the CBTI-Shift condition rated those factors higher than the participants in the Relaxation condition. Participants stayed in the study and completed sufficient treatment sessions, across both conditions. We also explored the change in insomnia and fatigue symptoms. Although the study was not designed to be large enough to draw conclusions about these results, the findings are supportive of conducting future work. Participants and study therapists provided feedback on the treatment and the study, which has allowed our team to make key adjustments to the treatment manual for future studies. In conclusion, this study provides strong evidence that CBTI-Shift is ready to be tested in a larger study designed to test the effects of the treatment in a broader shift-working population.

Journal Articles

SLEEP

Intra-Individual Variability in Sleep and Insomnia Severity in a Shift-Working Nursing Staff Sample

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ART

Psychology lab explores non-pharmacological sleep disorder treatment options