Effectiveness of Internet-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia during Quarantine of SARS-COV-2 Pandemic: A Controlled Trial

Background and Objective: In the late 2019, an acute respiratory syndrome [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2)] resulted in a pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID19). This study was designed to compare the efficacy of internetbased cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (ICBTI) with online relaxation training for management of insomnia during SARSCoV2 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This controlled trial was conducted on adults (1865 years) with the complaint of insomnia who called psychology call centers in Mashhad, Iran, from March to June 2020. Participants with insomnia symptoms starting after SARSCoV2 pandemic who had Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores of #x2265; 15 were included in the study. Five weekly sessions of ICBTI as the intervention were compared with 5 weekly online relaxation training sessions in the control group. ISI before and after 5 weeks of followup was compared in both groups. Results: From a total cohort of 144 subjects included in the study, 98 were excluded and the remainder were allocated to 23 cases and 23 control subjects. During followup period, 5 individuals (21.7%) dropped out in each group. The mean ISI scores improved after therapy (20.6 to 8.5 and 21.8 to 13.0 for intervention and control groups, respectively). Conclusion: ICBTI significantly improved insomnia severity during home quarantine of SARSCoV2 pandemic. We suggest that ICBTI could be an effective and feasible alternative in pandemic of an infectious disease. Clients accepted ICBTI with a minor dropout in our study.