The Effectiveness of the Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy Based on Edinger and Carney’s Protocol on Insomnia and Bedtime Procrastination in Patients with Insomnia

Due to the high incidence of insomnia in students and its effects on physical and psychological health, the present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) on insomnia and bedtime procrastination in students. The research sample consisted of 160 students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Then, participants who scored > 15 in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and < 45 in Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-25) were selected. ISI and Bedtime Procrastination Scale (BPS) were performed at three time intervals. Eight 90-minute sessions of CBGT were performed on the experimental group based on Edinger and Carney's protocol, and the control group received a booklet on sleep hygiene. The data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). CBGT was significantly related to the reduced insomnia severity and bedtime procrastination. The difference between the two interventions in outcome variables showed that CBGT was significantly more effective than educational intervention in decreasing the rate of insomnia, but the difference between the two interventions was not significant in terms of bedtime procrastination. In other words, CBGT had a significant effect on study outcome and it was more effective than educational intervention. Based on the Edinger and Carney’s protocol, CBGT was effective in reducing insomnia severity, but it did not directly affect bedtime procrastination. It seems that the inclusion of modalities for addressing bedtime procrastination increases the effectiveness of this treatment specifically for insomnia in students.