Effects of a Group-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Sleep in Nursing Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Sleep quality is a strategic public health priority and a key factor in the study of circadian rhythms and chronotypes. Nursing students are a particularly vulnerable population group. This pilot randomized controlled trial provides preliminary evidence that a brief group-based CBT-I intervention may improve selected subjective sleep outcomes, particularly sleep latency, among first-year nursing students. Objective circadian rhythm and sleep outcomes showed generally small treatment effects. Given the exploratory nature of this pilot study, adequately powered randomized controlled trials with longer follow-up are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.