Psychiatry Research EG

BACKGROUND: Behavioral interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are among the most widely used nonpharmacologic alternatives for the treatment of insomnia. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of insomnia, factors affecting it, and the impact of a cognitive behavioral therapy for institutionalized elders complaining of sleep disturbance in Alexandria, Egypt. METHODS: This study was done through two phases. A cross-sectional design was used in the first phase to detect the prevalence of sleep problems and their correlates among the elderly, then pretest-posttest design was used to apply an intervention program to the elders who suffered from insomnia. A pre-designed structured interview questionnaire was presented to the participants. The main outcome measure was sleep quality, as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. RESULTS: The study included a total of 210 elders (97 males and 113 females), with a mean age of 72.2 ± 5.3 years, about two thirds of them were poor sleepers (63.3%). The results show that after carrying out the behavioral therapy for the elders, the percentage of poor sleepers decreased from 63.3% to 46.2%. Two variables (educational level and female sex) proved to be statistically significantly related to the improvement in sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: A goal of this intervention program was considerably achieved. Importantly, the intervention appears to improve sleep quality among the elders. Data from this study re-enforce the continuing need for more sleep educational programs that are intended to attract the attention of elders especially those institutionalized.