EFFECTIVENESS OF A PERSONALIZED COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL SLEEP INTERVENTION ON INSOMNIA SEVERITY, DYSFUNCTIONAL SLEEP BELIEFS, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG YOUNG ADULTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Background

Insomnia and disturbed sleep are increasingly important psychological and behavioural health concerns among young adults. Persistent sleep difficulties are frequently accompanied by dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, anxiety, depressive symptoms, emotional distress, impaired daytime functioning, and reduced psychological well-being. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is an established non-pharmacological approach for insomnia; however, standardized programmes may not adequately address individual differences in sleep patterns, maladaptive cognitions, lifestyle factors, emotional difficulties, and behavioural contributors. A personalized cognitive behavioural sleep intervention may therefore provide greater relevance by tailoring therapeutic components to the specific needs of each participant.

Aim

To evaluate the effectiveness of a Personalized Cognitive Behavioural Sleep Intervention (PCBSI) on insomnia severity, dysfunctional sleep beliefs, emotional distress, and psychological well-being among young adults.

Methods

A quantitative evaluative approach with a randomized controlled pre-test–post-test design was adopted. Twenty-five young adults with clinically relevant insomnia symptoms were enrolled and randomly allocated to an intervention group (n=13) or control group (n=12). The intervention group received a six-week personalized cognitive behavioural sleep programme, whereas the control group received routine sleep-health information. Outcomes were assessed using standardized measures of insomnia severity, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep, emotional distress, and psychological well-being. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, within-group tests, between-group comparisons, effect sizes, and correlation analysis.

Results

At baseline, the two groups demonstrated broadly comparable outcome scores. Following intervention, mean insomnia severity in the intervention group decreased from 17.92 ± 3.25 to 8.15 ± 2.64, whereas only a small reduction occurred in the control group. Dysfunctional sleep-belief scores and emotional-distress scores also decreased substantially in the intervention group, while psychological well-being increased from 39.77 ± 6.81 to 56.38 ± 7.12. Between-group post-test differences were statistically significant across the primary outcomes (p<0.01).

Conclusion

The findings provide preliminary evidence that a personalized cognitive behavioural sleep intervention may reduce insomnia severity, modify dysfunctional sleep beliefs, decrease emotional distress, and enhance psychological well-being among young adults. Larger randomized controlled trials with extended follow-up are recommended.