Brief behavioral treatment for insomnia: Treatment schedule and training feasibility in the military

Psychol Serv. 2022 May;19(2):335-342. doi: 10.1037/ser0000528. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Abstract

Insomnia is a threat to the well-being and combat readiness of military service members. Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI) is effective in treating insomnia, but the treatment schedule is difficult to implement in the Military Health System due to shorter appointment windows than what is offered in civilian settings. In the present study, 23 behavioral health providers were trained in a version of BBTI adapted for use within the Military Health System. Training was conducted remotely via a 2-day webinar, followed by 12 weekly telephone consultations with a trainer. Surveys were conducted before and after the 2-day webinar, and after the consultation period. Training led to increases in target knowledge scores and self-rated confidence in administering BBTI. All providers reported implementing the treatment with multiple patients during the 12-week period, and all providers reported that the intervention was more effective than their usual treatment method. All behavioral health providers also reported that they were likely to use BBTI in the future when treating patients with insomnia, and that they would advertise their BBTI skills to primary care providers to encourage insomnia referrals. Although conducted with a small sample size, the current study gives provisional support for (a) feasibility of implementing the adapted version of BBTI within the Military Health System and (b) feasibility of training the adapted BBTI to behavioral health providers via remote learning methodology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Behavior Therapy / methods
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Humans
  • Military Personnel*
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* / therapy
  • Surveys and Questionnaires