Background: Given the many complications of drug therapy, it seems reasonable to use non-pharmacological therapies that can improve mental and physical disorders in haemodialysis patients.
Aims: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for insomnia (CBGT-I) in sleep quality, depression, anxiety and general psychological health of haemodialysis patients.
Method: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 116 haemodialysis patients who were randomly assigned to experimental (n=58) and control (n=58) groups. In the experimental group, CBGT-I was provided during nine weekly sessions. Data collection tools included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDIII), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Clinical Global Improvement Scale (CGI), Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) and Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form (WAI-S). Data were analysed by SPSS-25 and p<.05 was considered significant.
Results: The findings demonstrated that CBGT-I compared with control group was effective in improving sleep quality (p<.001, η2=.790), depression (p<.001, η2=.616), anxiety (p<.001, η2=.682) and general psychological health (p<.001, η2=.871). Participants of CBGT-I showed notable improvements as a result of the treatment, were satisfied with treatment, and had a good therapeutic relationship.
Conclusions: CBGT-I is effective in reducing depression and anxiety in addition to improving sleep quality and general psychological health in haemodialysis patients. Therefore, it is recommended to be used as a complementary treatment for these patients.
Keywords: cognitive behavioural group therapy for insomnia; depression; kidney failure; mental health.