Efficacy of sleep education program based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy to alleviate workers’ distress

Effect of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in workers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Although cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as a first-line treatment, its efficacy for workers with insomnia remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effectiveness of CBT-I in the management of insomnia symptoms in workers. We searched the literature in three electronic databases, namely PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase, and included 21 studies in the meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, CBT-I overall resulted in significant improvements in terms of severity of insomnia (g = -0.91), sleep onset latency (g = -0.62), wakefulness after sleep onset (g = -0.60), early morning awakening (g = -0.58), and sleep efficiency (g = 0.71). However, there was no improvement in the total sleep time relative to that in the control group. Furthermore, CBT-I significantly alleviated depressive (g = -0.37) and anxiety (g = -0.35) symptoms and fatigue (g = -0.47) compared with the control group. Our study findings suggest that both web-based and face-to-face CBT-I are effective interventions for managing insomnia symptoms in daytime workers, although it is important to note that only face-to-face CBT-I achieved clinically meaningful changes. The effectiveness of CBT-I for shift workers could not be determined.

Brief introductory group education programs for chronic disease patients in chronic disease management: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE

To scope the literature available and map the range of features of brief introductory group education programs implemented in chronic disease management.

INTRODUCTION

Brief introductory group education programs are resource-efficient interventions used in chronic disease management to educate patients on basic disease concepts, self-management strategies, and to introduce specialist services. There is a lack of published research that synthesizes the characteristics, guiding principles, and outcomes reported in brief group education programs in chronic disease management. This scoping review will seek to identify brief introductory group education programs and describe the i) scope of literature available on brief introductory group education programs, ii) characteristics of programs, iii) guiding self-management principles used and the extent to which programs follow such principles, and iv) types of outcomes reported.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Studies describing an introductory or brief group patient education program (one to four sessions, no more than eight hours) for the management of chronic disease in adults with ongoing chronic disease.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Emcare, Web of Science, JBI Evidence Synthesis, and PsycINFO will be searched for English-language articles published from 2001 to the present. Titles and abstracts will be screened against inclusion/exclusion criteria, followed by full-text review, independently assessed by two reviewers. Eligible articles will be extracted and charted using a standardized data extraction form. A descriptive review to summarize and contextualize the extracted data will be conducted.

Patterns of Concomitant Prescription, Over-the-Counter and Natural Sleep Aid Use over a 12-Month Period: A Population Based Study

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Concomitant patterns of sleep aid use may provide insight for understanding the transition to chronic sleep medication use. Therefore, we sought to characterize the trajectories of concomitant natural product (NP), over-the-counter (OTC), and prescribed (Rx) sleep aid use in a population-based sample over 12-months.

METHODS

Self-reported data on the use of NP, OTC, and Rx sleep aids were extracted from a Canadian longitudinal study on the natural history of insomnia (N=3416, M age = 49.7±14.7 years old; 62% women) at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Latent class growth modeling was used to identify latent class trajectories using MPlus 7. Participants completed a battery of clinical measures: Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test, abbreviated Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Insomnia Severity Index and, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Associations between class membership and baseline covariates were evaluated.

RESULTS

Concurrent sleep aid use fell into six distinct latent class trajectories over a 12-month period: Minimal Use (74.5%), Rx-Dominant (11.3%), NP-Dominant (6.3%), OTC-Dominant (4.3%), Rx-NP-Dominant (2.4%), and Rx-OTC-Dominant (1.1%). The three latent classes with prominent prescribed agent use predicted greater incidence of healthcare professional consultations for their sleep (p< 0.05), poorer sleep quality (p< 0.001), elevated dysfunctional sleep beliefs (p< 0.001), and sleep reactivity (p< 0.001). Compared to the other four latent classes, clinical profiles of Rx-NP-dominant and Rx-OTC-dominant groups endorsed greater severity across measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Patterns of sleep aid use may provide insight for identifying individuals who may be vulnerable to inappropriate self-medicating practices.

Reporting of adverse events in cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia: A systematic examination of randomised controlled trials

Adverse events are undesirable events that can occur during medical or psychological treatment. There has been limited attention to adverse events in psychological treatment trials relative to pharmacotherapy trials. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBTI) is the first line treatment for insomnia but studies have reported potential negative effects during acute implementation. This review aimed to understand the extent to which adverse events are monitored for and reported in the CBTI trial literature. Ninety-nine randomised controlled trials were identified for inclusion, with findings showing that 32.3% (n = 32) of studies addressed adverse events in some way, while only 7.1% (n = 7) of studies met all criteria for adequate reporting of adverse events. For studies that reported on adverse events by group, there did not appear to be consistent differences between trial arms, however the limited evidence-base coupled with marked heterogeneity in monitoring and reporting makes it difficult to draw clear conclusions at this time. We outline recommendations for the field aimed at improving prospective monitoring and reporting of adverse events in psychological/behavioural treatment trials.

Insomnia Interventions in the Workplace: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify and evaluate the impact of interventions to improve or reduce insomnia in the workforce through randomized clinical trials. Following the recommendations of the PRISMA and MARS statement, a systematic literature search was carried out on the PubMed, Web of Science, CINHAL, and PsycINFO databases, with no restrictions on the language or publication date. For the meta-analysis, a random-effects model and the Insomnia Severity Index were used as outcome measures. To assess the risk of bias and the quality of evidence, the Cochrane Collaboration tool and the GRADE method were used, respectively. Twenty-two studies were included in the systematic review and 12 studies in the meta-analysis, making a total of 14 intervention groups with a sample of 827 workers. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the most widely used intervention. According to the estimated difference between the means, a moderate effect for the reduction of insomnia symptoms after the intervention (MD -2.08, CI 95%: [-2.68, -1.47]) and a non-significant degree of heterogeneity were obtained (p = 0.64; I² = 0%). The quality of the evidence and the risk of bias were moderate. The results suggest that interventions on insomnia in the workplace are effective for improving workers' health, and that improvements in the quality of sleep and a decrease in the symptoms of insomnia are produced, thanks to an increase in weekly sleeping hours and a reduction in latency at sleep onset. As regards work, they also led to improvements in productivity, presenteeism, and job burnout.

Work-Related Mental Fatigue, Physical Activity and Risk of Insomnia Symptoms: Longitudinal Data from the Norwegian HUNT Study

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND

To examine the prospective association between work-related mental fatigue and risk of insomnia symptoms, and if leisure time physical activity modifies this association.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 8,464 women and 7,480 men who participated in two consecutive surveys of the Norwegian HUNT study.

METHODS

The study comprises longitudinal data on persons who were vocationally active and without insomnia symptoms at baseline in 1995-1997. We used a modified Poisson regression model to calculate adjusted risk ratios (RRs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for insomnia symptoms at follow-up in 2006-2008 associated with work-related mental fatigue and leisure time physical activity at baseline.

RESULTS

Women and men who always experienced mental fatigue after a workday had RRs of insomnia symptoms of 2.55 (95% CI 1.91-3.40) and 2.61 (95% CI 1.80-3.78), respectively, compared to workers who never or seldom had this experience. There was no strong modifying effect of leisure time physical activity on this association, but workers who always experienced mental fatigue had a RR of insomnia symptoms of 3.17 (95% CI 2.28-4.40) if they reported low physical activity and a RR of 2.52 (95% 1.89-3.39) if they reported high physical activity.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that work-related mental fatigue, caused by high cognitive workload, is a strong risk factor for insomnia symptoms. There was no clear modifying effect of leisure time physical activity but workers who experienced excessive work-related fatigue accompanied by low physical activity had the highest risk of insomnia symptoms.

Interventions for common mental disorders in the occupational health service: a systematic review with a narrative synthesis

Introduction

Common mental disorders (CMD) are leading causes of decreased workability in Sweden and worldwide. Effective interventions to prevent or treat such disorders are important for public health.

Objective

To synthesize the research literature regarding occupational health service (OHS) interventions targeting prevention or reduction of CMD among employees. The effect on workability (sickness absence, return-to-work and self-reported workability) and on CMD symptoms was evaluated in a narrative analysis.

Data sources

The literature search was performed in four electronic databases in two searches, in 2014 and in 2017.

Eligibility criteria (using PICO)

Population: studies investigating employees at risk or diagnosed with CMD, as well as preventive workplace intervention targeting mental health. Intervention: studies where the recruitment or the intervention was delivered by the OHS or OHS personnel were included. Control: individuals or groups who did not receive the target intervention. Outcome: all types of outcomes concerning sickness absence and psychological health were included.

Study quality was assessed using a Swedish AMSTAR-based checklist, and results from studies with low or medium risk of bias were narratively synthesized based on effect or absence thereof.

Results

Thirty-three studies were included and assessed for risk of bias. Twenty-one studies had low or medium risk of bias. In 18 studies, rehabilitation interventions were evaluated, 11 studies concerned interventions targeting employees at risk for developing CMD and four studies investigated preventive interventions. Work-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and problem-solving skill interventions decreased time to first return-to-work among employees on sick leave for CMD in comparison with treatment-as-usual. However, effect on return to full-time work was not consistent, and these interventions did not consistently improve CMD symptoms. Selective interventions targeting employees at risk of CMD and preventive interventions for employees were heterogeneous, so replication of these studies is necessary to evaluate effect.

Limitations

Other workplace interventions outside the OHS may have been missed by our search. There was considerable heterogeneity in the included studies, and most studies were investigating measures targeting the individual worker. Interventions at the workplace/organizational level were less common.

Conclusions and implication of key findings

Return-to-work and improvement of CMD symptoms are poorly correlated and should be addressed simultaneously in future interventions. Further, interventions for CMD administered through the occupational health service require further study. Rehabilitative and preventive strategies should be evaluated with scientifically robust methods, to examine the effectiveness of such interventions.