A meta-analytic review of cognitive behavior therapy and motivational interviewing for adolescent and young adult sleep concerns

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidenced-based treatment for sleep concerns but may be insufficient on its own to resolve adolescent sleep problems – combining this treatment with motivational interviewing may result in more robust improvements to sleep in adolescents and young adults (AYA). This study aimed to conduct the first meta-analysis of integrated CBT and motivational interviewing (MI) for AYA sleep concerns. Following PRISMA guidelines, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched through January 2024. Cohen’s d was computed for effect sizes. Eligible articles included AYA utilized an integration of CBT and MI, reported quantitative outcomes related to sleep, and were published in peer-reviewed journals and available in English. Four studies were eligible for the meta-analysis (N = 435). Results showed a small-medium effect size for reduced daytime sleepiness (d = 0.39, p =.001) and increased total sleep time (d = 0.25, p =.008) following integrated CBT and MI. Risk of bias was assessed using CMA. The findings suggest integrated CBT and MI is beneficial for AYA daytime sleepiness and sleep duration, more effective than CBT alone and other control groups. These findings contribute to the understanding of effective interventions for AYA sleep concerns, offer practical insights for practitioners, and highlight the need for further investigation into the integration of CBT and MI.